Pressure
by Harmony283
Summary: She smiled. It was small and just a little sad, but at the same time it was—calming. Almost, “I guess Lenalee would bother you about that wouldn't she?” LxK Chapter 36 'Fence' FINALLY UP! R&R Please!
1. Phone call

**A/N: First time writing for D. Gray Man, so I might not have the characters down as well as I'd like them. But this idea hit me like an anvil last night and it wouldn't leave me alone until I decided to write it. So here it is.**

**Summary: It's September and the new year is just now starting when Yuu gets a phone call from Lavi late at night. He did _something_ wrong, and needs his help. But what did he do, and is the damage irreversible?**

**Warning(s): AU, Violence, language, alcohol/drug usage, implied lemon/lime, and of course shounen-ai**

**Inspired by: Just like a Pill by Cascada –was listening to it on repeat while writing this-**

_--_

"Please tell me you know what you're doing." I hissed, my footsteps echoing of the linoleum tiles as I tried my best to keep my voice down. "I do _not_ want to have to pay off another one of your…_debts_…again."

"Right, right, whatever you say, _Yuu_," the voice on the other line ground out, "Just hurry up and get _over _here. I don't think I can handle this myself." He sounded like he was in pain, or at least he was struggling against_ something_. But I didn't know what that something _was_.

"And what _exactly_," I sharply turned a corner, my pace quickening, "is _this_, Lavi? Care to explain that one _little_ detail you decided to leave out?" I'd let him get by just this once. Just this _once_ with using my first name. That wasn't an important factor right now. Especially when he was off being an idiot again.

There was a bit of choked laughter on the other side before he finally answered, "Aww don't tell me little Yuu-chan doesn't know how to use his head this late at night!" I had to wonder, in a less-than-humorous manner, if he hadn't just gotten drunk and needed a ride home. "Ya gotta give me _some_ credit here!"

"_Lavi_!"

He was silent for a moment, all I heard was static and for a horrifying moment I thought he had hung up on me. But he answered, his voice barely above a whisper, "Give me some credit, man. I did what I could and that was _damn hell_ of a lot!" It took me back by how angry he suddenly sounded. Lavi and 'angry' hardly ever went in the same sentence together. Not unless it was something about his friends. He was such a friend fanatic.

"Fine you did a lot," I repeated, knowing full well he was avoiding answering exactly what the hell had happened, "But what the hell did you do a lot _for_?" I turned down another hallway, "And which room was it again?"

"Room A two-fifteen." His voice sounded hazier, "Just _get here_ would ya?" he pulled the phone away from his mouth and muttered something under his breath, "how closer are you?"

I glanced to the side. The room I had just passed was room two-ten. "Five rooms away." I stared down the hallway, which wasn't well lit despite the fact that it should have been. It was a public building outside, "And how did you get in the room again?"

"Through the window."

I bit back a laugh, "Always through non-conventional means."

"So says the one managed to squeeze himself through a hole in the wall rather than find the key," Lavi shot back, "Sure I'm the average non-conformist."

I stopped in front of the doorway to the room, "I'm coming in." and surprisingly enough the door opened. It actually _opened_, "And the reason you didn't just open the door and walk out is because?" I asked as I watched the door swing open. I didn't care that he could probably hear me just fine through the door--that I was just running down the already most-likely-dead battery on my cell phone.

But I didn't even need to hear his response anyway, over the phone or face to face. I got the answer just from what was right in front of me. I didn't even feel myself let go of my phone. I only heard it crash against the floor. Not broken—the floor in the room was actually carpet—but still.

"Yuu! That was quick!" He was trying. I had to give him credit for that. The smile on his face wasn't nearly as strong as it usually was. And he was shaking. He didn't even seem to notice he still had the phone up to his ear.

"What…?" It was the only word that would come out of my mouth, "_did you do_?" I wasn't blind. I could see the overturned chairs, the desks that looked like they might as well be broken, the torn pages out of books, and the nonsensical words scribbled on the white board in red and black marker. And the broken window.

"I tried." Came the feeble reply, "I…really…tried." I noticed for the first time that he had his headband pulled so that it was hiding one of his eyes, and his body was turned so that I couldn't see his left hand. "Didn't turn out as well as…I would've liked…but I get brownie points, don't I?" It was like he was begging for praise for something he did that I knew absolutely nothing about.

But he had gotten hurt. It was obvious now, "Your eye-patch." I muttered, looking around the trashed room, "You lost it?" I knew he wouldn't let me anywhere near him if he didn't have the eye-patch. The idiot.

"N-Nah…just…it's somewhere," he was shaking and trying to get up at the same time. He winced a few times, still hiding his left hand, before he successfully stood up. He turned his face so that he could see me better as he shoved his phone into his pocket. "I'll get a new one when we get back."

He took a shaky step forward but I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, "You expect me to just come and get you and _not_ ask any questions." For a moment he seemed to consider what I said, but it didn't look like he even heard me, "_Lavi_." His expression turned into a pained one as my grip tightened on his shoulder.

"_Kan-da_," he breathed out, trying to loosen my grip on him without moving, "I'll tell you when we get _back_. Please!" He suddenly sounded desperate. He was hardly ever desperate. Or he never showed it. I got a glimpse of his left hand then and that made me let him go immediately.

"You're bleeding." It was the only intelligent thing I could think of.

"Way to point out the obvious." His reply was sarcastic and not meant to be anything other than that. "Please tell me you brought your car."

I nodded my head, "Of course I did. It's almost midnight why _wouldn't_ I bring my car?" I gave him a weary glance, he didn't even look like he could walk that far. His hand was bleeding. _Badly_. I couldn't even see the wound, but I knew it was deep. I slowly picked up my phone as he leaned against the doorframe. I pretended not to notice the way his breathing suddenly became that much more noticeable.

In the back of my mind I knew he'd probably need stitches for that wound. We'd have to go the hospital. But I didn't say a word. He wouldn't want to go. Not tonight.

I slowly slid the cell-phone back into my pocket before speaking, "I parked close. It won't be far. But honestly, the _second floor_? How did you get up here—_through the window_?"

He laughed, but it sounded forced, "If there's a will there's a way."

"For an _idiot_." I hissed back, "Now let's get out of here. I'm surprised there haven't been any guards…" I trailed off immediately when I noticed the expression on his face. The moonlight was shining clearly into the room now, and his face looked pale. Too pale to be normal. He looked like he was going to throw up. Or like he'd seen someone die.

And he was looking at me. His one green eye shining, "Y'know," he remarked offhandedly, "you're glowing."

I tensed and immediately stepped out of the moonlight, "Am not." I replied curtly, "Let's get going." I didn't wait for him to follow me, I knew he'd catch up eventually. He knew his way out of this place just as well as I did. We _did_ used to go to school here, just a few months ago and we had graduated.

Never thought I'd find him alone in a nearly-destroyed class room hurt and not willing to talk about anything that had to do with it.

I made my way down the lone flight of stairs and quickly past the lobby. I turned to look behind me and saw that he was following me. Slowly, gripping his arm in obvious pain, but still following me.

There still weren't any guards to be seen. It should have made me nervous, and in a small portion of my brain it was setting off alarms, but I couldn't worry about that at all. It seemed like a bit of Lavi's 'irrational thinking' had rubbed off on me. Maybe he was a bad roommate after all.

I slapped myself mentally and hurried through the glass doors at the entrance. I held one of them open for Lavi to get through and he grinned. "Y'know," he remarked again, "a little birdie once told me that if you wanna sneak out going through the front door isn't a good idea."

I rolled my eyes at that, "_Right_."

"It's why they guard it so much!" He sounded happier now, and he was actually keeping up with me. "Don't tell me Yuu-chan's never tried to sneak out before!"

I hurried my pace until I reached my car, parked in one of the many vacant parking spaces at the front of the school's parking lot, "It's only _guarded_ if they don't think you'll go through another exit." I stopped abruptly and waved my hand at the front of the school, "See? No guards at the front. They _expect_ you to sneak in and out through the _back_."

Lavi blinked for a moment, looking slightly surprised, before strangely he smiled. It was a relaxed sort of smile as he stared at me. And for a moment that's all he did. Just stared at me. Then he spoke, slowly, "Heh, yeah I guess you're right. Now let's get outta here before they realize they've been duped!" his smile didn't change though, as I unlocked the car and he slipped in on the passenger's side.

I was aware that he was still staring at me as I started the engine and backed out. He didn't look away until we left the parking lot. When we did and made it to the traffic of the central city I vaguely remember hearing him mutter something under his breath. But when I glanced at him he shook his head and turned to look out the window.

--

(-One Hour Later-)

"You can't get a wound like _that_ just from going through the window." I knew I was practically shouting, but it was all I could do so that he could actually _hear _me over the loud sound of running water.

He didn't respond, just like I thought he wouldn't, and I let out another annoyed sigh. "_Why_ do I even _try_ to help you…?" I asked myself, shaking my head as I heard the water being turned off. The loud squeal of hot water running through the pipes immediately stopped and suddenly it felt too loud.

I quickly walked over to the large window that made up one of the walls to the one-room studio-like apartment. The curtains were drawn, but I pulled one aside, staring out at the twinkling lights of the never-sleeping city.

I could see his reflection before he even opened my mouth and I turned to him. He was wearing only his sweatpants now, and he was drying his hair off with a towel. He had an eye-patch on now.

He tried to grin at me when he saw me staring and he threw the towel over on one of the leather couches, "Is Yuu-chan _worried_?" he asked, though I could still hear pain in his voice. His hand was bleeding as badly, but he was still trying to hide it. Thankfully I had already set out the first-aid set. Not that it would do much good, especially not for the blood loss.

I let out a sigh and walked over to the couch he had thrown the towel on. I picked it up and tossed it onto the glass coffee table before sitting down, "Sit." I ordered and he sat down next to me. I grabbed the necessary items—gauze, bandages, ointment, bandage tape—and turned to him.

"Your arm." He flinched and for a moment I thought I'd have to force him to show me his wound. But he relented, and held out his arm.

I suddenly wished I hadn't seen it. I had no qualms against _blood_. I saw enough of it with how many gore and horror movies I had been dragged to over the years. But that was _fake_ blood, _fake _wounds. It was all make up or special effects. Yes I had seen it for a few minutes, when we walked through the door because he had been bleeding so much. But up close it was so much worse.

He grimaced at my reaction and muttered a quiet apology. I let out another sigh and slowly began cleaning the wound. He didn't so much as gasp in discomfort, like he would sometimes for the smaller cuts he just _seemed_ to get. I finished cleaning the wound, thankfully it wasn't as big as it had looked when I first saw it—it was mostly just the blood that made it look huge, and I managed to get the gauze and bandage in place without much trouble. I pinned the bandage in place then tapped it with the bandaging tape for good measure.

Finally when I was done I leaned back against the leather cushions. "You know," he shifted a bit; "you're a danger magnet." He made a sound in the back of his throat but I ignored it, "And yet you seem to never get off too badly."

He smiled again, but just like before, when we were about to get in the car, it was strange. "I guess I'm just lucky that way." He muttered, leaning back against the couch as well, "But _damn_ am I tired. What time is it?"

I looked over at the DVD/VCR player across the room. The neon lights flashed the number one with two zeros, "One in the morning." I answered, though I wasn't really that tired, "we should be getting to bed."

Neither of us made a move to get up off the couch, though. When I turned to look over at Lavi, I got my answer. Or at least I got why _he_ didn't decide to get up. He was already half-asleep. That yawn had just been one that he had obviously held in. He noticed me staring and tried to smile again, "I guess I'll jus' go on to bed now…" he yawned again halfway through the sentence as he stood up.

He raised his hand in a casual half-wave before stalking off behind one of the walls that had been built in to separate the 'bedrooms' from the main rooms. I waited for a while until I heard the creak of his mattress as he laid down.

I looked back at the clock. Now one of the zeroes was replaced by a one. I knew I should be getting to bed too. But I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. Especially not after almost successfully falling asleep before and being woken up by a call from a half-dead sounding roommate.

And then getting there and seeing that trashed room. I _almost_ felt sorry for whoever teacher had that room. But it wasn't like she'd make any connection to us. She probably didn't even _know_ who we were, or even that we went to that school.

I let out a groan as I forced myself up off the couch. I stared down at the first-aid kit, wondering for a moment if I should put it up, before turning away and walking across the cold wood flooring to my room separated by a wall, just like Lavi's.

I quickly changed into my nightwear—the only difference being black sweatpants—before crawling into bed and closing the curtains halfway, for privacy. I pulled out my hair tie and let the dark blue strands fall around my shoulders. I ran my fingers through them once, before letting my hand fall to my side.

I normally would have braided my hair, and I probably should have, but it was late. I should already be asleep by now. But I wasn't, and I doubted I'd get to sleep anytime soon. I let out a sigh and fell back against my pillow, my bed already being half-way unmade since I had to literally jump out of it earlier. I didn't bother pulling over all the covers, though. I doubted I needed them. It _was_ still summer, after all.

--

**Here's where I'll end the first chapter (more like prequel of sorts). I hope you liked it, and if you chose to read to this point then please leave a review! I already have most of the next chapter written, but I'll only upload it if people like it, and the only way I know that is via review! **

**-Harmony283**


	2. I Did it for Yuu

**A/N: And here's the second chapter. Yeah not all the action happened in the last chapter (and not a lot happens in this one, but some DOES happen), and I didn't even use most of my warnings. But, hey, I practically wrote this all in one sitting, so it makes sense that not everything would show up immediately, right? Right. In this chapter Lavi tries to be the same optimistic self he always is. But that doesn't really fool anyone, especially Yuu, near the end. And it took me four tries to get this uploaded (for some ODD reason), so yeah, I'm just glad it uploaded. And of course thanks so much to those who reviewed for the first chapter! **

**Note: Remember how I said I based this off the song "Just like a Pill"? Well I uploaded an AMV with the same song/pairing on my Youtube Account (FaroresTune) for those who want to see it. Unfortunately it doesn't have many moving clips in it, but that's for two reasons. 1- copyright issues and 2- I'm still downloading/converting a lot of the episodes.**

**--**

"We had to give him some pain medicine," the doctor said, shaking his head from side to side, "But other than that he seemed fine."

I didn't look away from the window I was currently staring out of. All I did was nod my head.

That seemed to be enough indication for the doctor to continue, so he did, "He lost so much blood though, do you know when the bleeding started up again?"

This time I did look at him, "as far as I know it never stopped." The look on the doctor's face was nothing short of worry so I quickly added on, "though it wasn't bad. Not after I cleaned it. He…probably moved around too much in his sleep."

He still didn't look happy about the response, but at least it wasn't as worried anymore. A freaked out doctor was never a good thing. "I see. That makes sense. Well, I don't know how much influence you have over him," he eyed me strangely for a moment, "But it's best for him not to use that arm. The stitches are there, but the wound is deep. It will take a while to heal." He flipped through some paper attached to his clipboard, "Though I have to ask, for record purposes, how did this…?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "He never told me."

"You didn't _ask_?" he looked almost appalled. I just shook my head, not giving any other response. If he wanted to be appalled by it then so be it. It didn't matter to me. Didn't any other time he was hurt, why should it matter now? The doctor seemed to accept my sudden quietness, for whatever reason, and began to talk again, "We've given him some pain killers that he needs to take in the morning and before he goes to sleep at night." He scribbled something down on a piece of paper, "this kind of wound takes a while to heal, so we've set up enough for three weeks worth. If he needs anymore after that then a regular pain killer will do just fine."

I nodded my head and went back to looking out the window.

"He's awake, you know." I jolted slightly as a nurse came up to us, "If you want to see him you can now. Just…don't make him lift his arm." She tried to smile at me, but she looked suspicious about something, "the prescription will be waiting for you at the front…when you leave."

By then I knew this was a silent 'you must be a good friend' moment. I would immediately be a 'bad friend' if I didn't go see him. So, grudgingly, I went in through the door that I knew he was being kept in. When I peered across the room I saw him sitting in a chair looking bored. But at the same time he almost looked sad, even though I couldn't see his face clearly.

I coughed lightly to get his attention and he turned to face me, his expression brightening considerably. "Yuu-chaaan!" Immediately I wished I had just turned around and _walked_ right back outside the door. I knew this was going to happen. _This _was the reason why I didn't—

It didn't matter though. He was already attempting to bear-hug me even though he couldn't lift his left arm. I successfully dodged his first attempt, but the nurse decided to pop her head back in at _exactly _the wrong time. And I nearly fell over as he looped his one good arm around my neck. Needless to say the nurse looked both shocked and worried at the same time.

"Oh my goodness…! You shouldn't be moving around so much! The stitches—" she started, but Lavi's laughter cut her off.

"Don't worry I'm fine!" And with the smile on his face and how happy he looked _anyone_ would believe him if they didn't know him as well as I did. He seemed to further this point by tightening his grip on me before abruptly letting go and walking out into the hallway. He waved to me and said in a loud, overly-cheerful voice, "Let's go! I'm hungry! You made me skip breakfast because of this!"

And of course he'd be worried about food. Something as trivial as _that_. But that was Lavi. Worrying over simple things. I…I almost _smiled_ at that. His cheerfulness was so convincing. But he was right. We _did_ miss breakfast. Not that either of us could eat before coming here, not after seeing so much…blood…

I shook the thought away immediately and said, "Fine, we'll eat out. But in exchange you're cleaning up." He knew what I meant and for a moment his face turned cold and reserved, almost like when I had tried to press him for answers last night. He even had the same smile on his face.

"Fine with me." He nearly choked on the words, despite trying to sound happy. When he turned to walk back down the hallway I noticed how suddenly _stiff_ he looked. His pace quickened and finally we made it into the lobby. I went to the desk and few minutes later we were in my car, pulling out of the parking space and driving out of the parking lot.

It wasn't until we stopped at the second traffic light that he finally decided to speak again, "I know where we can eat!" I glanced over at him and he grinned at me, "Wanna guess?"

I tried hard not to roll my eyes again, "Just tell me." I hated guessing. We never really liked the same foods anyway.

He made a pouting face that I thankfully didn't have to stare at for too long—the light had turned green—before I had to pay attention to the traffic again.

"_Weeelll_," now he was attempting to make a song out of it, "Y'know that _place_ that we went to once. Where we actually know people who _work_ there? C'mon, you _must_ know now!"

I growled lowly, "No I don't have a _clue_."

"You mean you don't remember Cross's Diner?!" he practically shouted at me.

I just quirked an eyebrow at that, "So we're eating at Cross's Diner?" Out of the corner of my eye I could see him nodding his head. "Why there?" I didn't add on that I thought he hated the owner. He'd probably change his mind even though that was the—

"It's the only place we _both_ like!" he sounded so giddy, like he had just discovered some life-altering secret that no one else knew before him. "So let's go there! Do you remember where it is?" he was looking out the window now, so it didn't matter if I responded or not. He told me anyway, "Turn right here. It should be close by. I'm sure they'll be surprised to see us!" he turned to me again; I was stuck at yet _another_ red light, and smiled even wider, "I haven't seen Lenalee or Allen since Graduation!"

Ah. The bean sprout. "Yeah we haven't." and I was glad of it too. Didn't need to see too much of that—

"I wonder if they're dating yet." Now Lavi was smirking—actually _smirking_—like he devised some sort of evil plan, "What do you think?"

"I," I paused for a moment as I made the right turn, "don't care."

"What if they are?" he sounded excited again, but also…nostalgic.

"Then one of them will probably tell us. Or Koumi lets it slip." It would probably be the latter, if anything happened. Not that I'd trust his caffeine driven responses any day.

"And if they aren't?"

"Then they aren't."

"Did we ever tell 'em we're rooming together?" The sudden change of topics made me almost miss the turn into the actual restaurant. I glared at him but he didn't look apologetic. He looked curious, like he really wanted an answer. "I don't think we did." He supplied the answer for himself, seeing as I was busy trying to find a parking space—the Diner had done extremely well over the past two years that it had been open. Now it was one of the more popular places to hang out, it catered to nearly every crowd at certain points a day.

Finally I found one and swiftly parked, making sure I was straight first before pulling out my keys from the ignition. He still looked like he wanted me to participate in the conversation so I shrugged, "Do what you want."

He smiled a little and said, almost offhandedly, "Well we're here together _anyway..." _

"And that normally wouldn't happen." I added on for him.

"So yeah! I wonder what they'll say."

I don't know why I chose to think about that more than anything else he asked me that day but I did. I was already mutely coming up with my responses for each of them. Lenalee would be fine with it, maybe a little surprised. Koumi wouldn't care, he'd probably laugh. Bean Sprout would—

The door nearly rammed me in the forehead as someone pushed it open quickly. It was two high school kids, probably first years, and they were laughing at _something_ and not even paying attention to us. Lavi had his hand on my shoulder, though, and I realized for a second that the reason the door _didn't_ hit me is because he pulled me back.

Now I really hated the three inches he had on me, that he _constantly_ made known, just from standing next to me, or directly behind me, like he was now.

"You okay _Kan-da_?" he asked, holding the door for me with his good hand as I walked through. I responded with a grunt of some sort before stepping into the actual restaurant. Some gaudy music from the sixties or seventies was playing on some speaker in the ceiling, but it could barely be heard over the loud talking of the people sitting in the booths, along the bar, or sitting in the waiting area.

A vaguely familiar waitress came up to us and smiled, "How many?"

"Two." I answered as Lavi peered through the crowd. I already knew who he was looking through.

"Two, okay then, we actually have a table ready!" She smiled in an almost relieved way before she took two menus and handed them off to another vaguely familiar waiter, who managed to show us the way through the thick crowd of people to a two-person table. It was probably the only one _not_ filled up by some couple, or a mom and her child.

Lavi, naturally, thanked the waiter with a smile before asking, "By the way, is there a guy named Allen or a girl named Lenalee working today?"

The boy's eyes lit up at the names and he nodded his head, "Yeah they both are. You know 'em?" He looked a little surprised when he got a nod in reply from the both of us. "I…see. Okay then, I'll see if I can get them for you." He gave us a weird look—one I didn't want to interpret—before turning away and rushing over to a nearby table to take orders.

I already knew what I was going to order, I didn't even have to look at the menu. But Lavi seemed to be staring at it intently and he asked, "What should I get?"

I shrugged, "What you always get when you come here?"

"But I'm not "The Usual" kind of guy!" he stated defiantly, turning the page on the menu.

"Well you were last time." I said, again with a casual shrug.

"So _you're_ getting the usual, then?" Lavi asked, peering over the top of the menu, his head tilted slightly. I could tell he was smiling—or smirking—again, but the menu covered my view of his mouth.

"Yeah, I don't see why I _can't_."

"But that's boring, Yuu-chan!" I resisted the urge to throw the salt shaker at him, but I knew no one could really hear us. The volume of the crowd around us was now up to a dull roar.

Didn't mean it was any less irritating though. "Then what do you suggest I get?" the words popped out before I could take them back, and I _knew_ regretted saying them when Lavi quickly placed his menu on the table, turned it to face me, and pointed to one of the breakfast dishes.

"Eat that."

I made a face, "I don't eat bacon."

"Then eat this!" He pointed to another one.

"Who eats fish for breakfast?"

He face faulted and the growled, "Then eat…this one!" He pointed to something random now, and I _almost _laughed.

"I'll be filling up hash browns then, _right_."

He made a face and then dragged the menu back over to his side of the table, "Then what _will_ you eat?"

"The Usual."

Before he could retort with 'That's boring' or something like that, there was laughter.

"That's so like you, Kanda!" It was Lenalee, she was dressed in the traditional waitress outfit—white and black with a cross insignia on the sleeves—and she was smiling, "I'm so surprised to see you two here though!"

"Lenalee!" immediately Lavi attempted to hide his left arm, which had been resting on the tabletop. "Why _wouldn't _we come here? Where's Allen?"

"I'm right here!" Allen popped up on the small wall to the left of us that divided where we sat from the lower level, where most of the high-tables and the bar were. It only went up to our shoulders, so he had no problem just _leaning_ against it. He eyed me for a moment before saying, "It's been…what…since Graduation last year? You both went away to the summer college classes…we hardly saw you except from far away."

Lavi laughed and smiled again, "Well yeah, but hey, it means more free time during the school year!" he punched the air with his good hand, "But how's your Sophomore year treatin' ya?" We both knew Allen was practically a year younger than everyone in his grade. Not that that meant anything. He'd just graduate younger than them. It was no concern of mine.

"It's going okay…" But what did surprise me was the suddenly dull surprise, and the way he slightly squinted as if remembering something bad.

Immediately Lenalee butted in, "Oh but we're in the same Homeroom still! And we have Biology together, those classes are always fun." But the happiness that she had when she first saw us was weakening. "But what about you two? What classes are _you_ taking? I know you go to the same College, do you see each other at all?"

For a moment we were both silent, but it wasn't noticeable—how could it be in a place as noisy as this? Finally Lavi decided to speak up again, "Well we've got one class together—he's actually learning to take _photos_ now!"

"Wha—really?! Like you, Lavi?" Lenalee's happiness returned in full-throtle, "You really _can_ take whatever classes you want in College, right?"

Lavi grinned and nodded his head, "Yup, they even have a _massage_ class."

If I had been drinking something I knew I would've spit it out, "And _how_ would you know that?"

"It's on the sheet thing, with all the classes in it." He looked surprised, like he thought I had read over all of it, "Just because we aren't going into that field doesn't mean we can't _look_ at it…" He…definitely worded that weird. Whatever face I made seemed to tell him that and he laughed, "It's cool. But that's not important! What've you two been up to? Anything new and interesting goin' on?"

Now it was their turn to be silent, and Lenalee's happiness dimed again. Bean Sprout just looked awkward, like he was going to have to mention something that was either embarrassing, or something he wanted to avoid.

But he spoke anyway, "W-Well…I've got a girlfriend now." Lenalee made a sound in the back of her throat that sounded like a choked back sob. That wasn't good. But he continued on, "I don't…know if you know her. I can introduce you though, she's here I think." He turned his head and peered through the crowd of people.

"Well you can at least tell us her name, right?" Lavi's words were suddenly _very_ careful, he kept his gaze nowhere, but it seemed to focus more on Lenalee. He knew she was in pain, but he was curious all the same.

The Bean Sprout immediately jerked his head back around and stuttered, "Oh, um, her name's—" he didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence before he was grabbed from behind by a pair of feminine-looking arms.

"_Allen!"_ the owner of the arms cried out in a high pitched squeal, "You're working today! What a surprise! I _knew_ thought I saw you when I came in!" She peered around his back and smiled. She had slightly spiky blue hair and tanned skin, her eyes almost looked black. But her outfit was…startling. A white and pink long sleeved shirt with a violet skirt, knee socks, and probably either boots, or 'school girl' shoes—I couldn't see her feet from where I was sitting.

What's worse is I recognized her, "Road?" She perked up at her name, "Oh! It's…ah..Kanda right? You're in big brother Tyki's class!" she turned to look at Lavi, "And you're Lavi right?" but the smile on her face wasn't as nice as it had been, "_Allen_ why didn't you _tell_ me you knew them?!" She was trying to sound accusatory but it didn't work.

He just laughed nervously and said, "Because I didn't know…you knew them." He gave us both a strange look, "How do you…?"

"Tyki knows 'em! Weren't you listening?" Again she tried to sound angry, but again she didn't _quite_ pull it off, "Oh, but you haven't met Tyki yet, have you? He's here with me today! Why don't I introduce you?" Almost immediately as she said that I heard deep, familiar laughter from behind me.

"Why yes I _don't_ think we've met before." It was Tyki and, when I turned to look at him, he seemed to be wearing what he normally wore. A white button-up shirt and black pants. Very traditional. He smiled at me, but like every other time it turned into more of a grin, "What a surprise, seeing you both here! That doesn't happen often, now does it?"

I turned to look back at Lavi, only to realize he was practically _glaring_ at him. Immediately my stomach clenched. He didn't see us together often, and I now understood that that was probably the best way. It didn't seem like they got along. Though something told me that was putting it lightly.

Then Road made a gasping sound, and then she hissed. I turned to look at her and I knew immediately what her reaction was from. "Woaaah. What the heck did you do to your _arm_?" She asked, staring at Lavi's bandaged arm. A few seconds later and both the Bean Sprout _and_ Lenalee were leaning towards him to get a better look.

"Ah…just…an accident!" Lavi laughed, but it was strangled and nothing short of forced. They wouldn't believe him for an instant.

"It doesn't _look_ like an accident to me! Did you have to get stitches for it?!" For some reason or another the curiosity Road suddenly had for the wound made me nervous. Normally a girl would back away from something like that. But then again there _was_ something…_strange_ about her. "Do _you_ know what happened?" suddenly she was looking at me, her eyes still dark, but even more curious.

I just shrugged my shoulders, "I don't know."

Apparently saying that was a _bad_ idea. The look on her face turned to shock as she loudly, but not too loudly, exclaimed, "But aren't you two _roommates_?! How can you _not_ know?!" she said it like it was the worst thing in the world. Like I had committed some great sin that was irreversible, and would never be forgiven.

"You're rooming together?" the Bean Sprout asked, looking a little shocked, "That's…surprising."

Road turned back to look at him, "It is?" the Bean Sprout nodded his head. "What, do you two not get along or something?" she was looking between Lavi and me now, with a mixed expression on her face.

Lavi, again, spoke up, "W-Well…_not really_, but we're good buddies anyway, right!" He sounded hopeful, but now was the wrong time for that. Here in a busy restaurant when I found myself starting to get a headache from all of this.

But I answered anyway, "I suppose. When you aren't off being an idiot."

"I am _not_!" he immediately denied, "I haven't done anything stupid—"

"Since last night." I cut him off. "You called me at _midnight_ asking me to pick you up at—" something told me I shouldn't mention where that was, "—wherever the hell you decided to go. And you're hurt and you won't tell me _why_? Yes, you're very smart, Lavi._ Very_ smart."

I knew the words had stung a little more than I had intended for them to. The look on Lavi's face explained that well enough, and I knew if we weren't somewhere as public as this he might've even told me _why _he had snuck out after I went to bed, and how the heck he had gotten hurt in the first place. But his eyes flickered to Tyki, who was still standing behind me, and I knew he definitely wasn't going to then, especially not with people, people he didn't even consider his _friends,_ hanging around.

"Hmm, well that doesn't sound like a terribly smart thing to do." It almost surprised me when Tyki responded to what I had said. He placed a hand on the back of my chair and let out a sigh, "though I suppose it's none of my business." I stiffened slightly, I could've _sworn_ I felt his hand try to touch a strand of my hair. That annoyed me, when people tried to touch my hair, and thankfully he noticed and pulled away.

"Tch, well maybe _that_ wasn't." Lavi lowered his voice, "But it would be if…"

"No it _wouldn't_ be smart for any other reason." Lenalee cut him off, "You're hurt…did you really have to go to the hospital…?"

"Yeah."

"When?" Road asked, suddenly interested in the conversation again.

"This morning."

"That long." Road's eyes widened, "Y'mean you let it bleed for that _long_?"

"It _stopped_." Lavi spat out, "for a while. But it started again."

"_When_?!" now she seemed almost elated by the fact and I had to wonder what the hell that Bean Sprout saw in her that made him want to date her in the first place. But he didn't seem to be too disturbed by her sudden wanting-to-know attitude. It was like it was normal. That scared, no, more like _worried_, me even more than it probably should have.

"Why do you care?" Lavi bitterly replied, "I don't wanna talk about this now." Suddenly he stood up, "and I'm not hungry anymore either." I could tell he didn't mean it, though. He just wanted to get away from them. He tried to hide his bandaged arm when we came in here, after all, why _wouldn't_ he want to leave after he noticed.

Not that it would keep them from worrying.

He gave me a look as if to say 'are you coming?' and I knew I had to go. I was the one who drove him here, after all. "Fine," I let out a sigh, "I'm not that hungry either." That was the truth, I usually didn't have time to eat in the morning before I had to go to a class, not that I had very many, like Lavi had said. The summer courses really _had _lessened the load during the school year.

"Um but—are you sure?" Lenalee asked, looking even more worried now, "I-I mean, do you at least want something as take out?" I shook my head and I could see her deflating.

"Nah, but thanks Lena," Lavi tried to flash a charming smile at her, but it was still somewhat forced. He sent a slight glare towards Tyki, then he saw me staring and stopped. He turned away quickly and began to weave his way back through the door. He didn't even respond when the waitress at the front asked if we'd come back anytime soon.

I doubted we would, especially if the Bean Sprout's new girlfriend and her 'big brother' were hanging out here. It must've been worse though, for him. At least I hadn't been interrogated.

We managed to get into my car and out of the parking lot before I decided to say anything. When I did I knew his reaction before I even finished my sentence. "You know," I started, "you didn't handle that very well."

He grunted and looked away, "What can you _expect_? I didn't want them to know. Why the heck is Allen dating that girl anyway?" I was right, he was trying to change the subject, "Lenalee…she's practically torn up just by having him _mention_ it."

"Can you honestly expect him to get that, though?" I asked, peering over at him as I stopped at a red light. All I got was a sigh and a shake of the head as a response. We both knew that the Bean Sprout, in addition to the height issue, was naïve, but he was also incredibly dense. Especially when it came to _feelings_.

Either that or he overanalyzed them. I didn't give him the benefit of a doubt on that one, though. He wasn't that smart and we both knew it. Being his 'friends' or not didn't change that fact.

"I didn't think he'd screw up _this much_ when we left." The almost-dead sound of his voice nearly threw me off as I made the turn back onto the main road. Again he sounded desperate or, no, not desperate, more like _guilty_. I glanced over at him again and he was glaring out the window. "What if we could've done something? Y'know, over the summer? To help?"

He was going down _that_ road again, "I think I agree with your Grandfather on this one," I stated blandly, "you really need to stop worrying about other people and how they feel."

Lavi made some sort of snorting noise before muttering, "So says you mister Frigid-as-Hell."

I tried to ignore that comment and pay attention to the sudden increase in traffic. I switched lanes quickly, seeing an ambulance along with a police car on the side of the road I had been on. Everything slowed to a practical _crawl_, and I tried hard not to look at where the accident had taken place. I still didn't care about the blood—if there was any—but this wasn't a movie. Someone could've gotten seriously hurt, or worse.

"Holy shit," Lavi cursed under his breath, "Man that car's totaled." I chanced a glance and saw immediately what he was talking about. Two cars, a green Malibu, and a silver Volkswagen Beetle. It was obvious which had faired better. The Volkswagen had a huge dent in the side, on the driver's side, and the driver herself—just a teenager, maybe the same age as me—was out of the car, cradling her arm and sobbing. The man who owned the Malibu was talking quickly on the cell phone to _someone_, while his—I'm assuming—wife tried to comfort the girl.

"Damn I think her arm might be broken." Lavi hissed once we managed to get past the luggish traffic and the bystanders.

I just shook my head, "Maybe." I concentrated once more on the road, and soon enough I was turning into the huge building that housed our flat. I parked the car swiftly, and, once out of the car, stretched. My back was suddenly very stiff, it almost hurt to move it.

"Now I'm wonderin' if we should've taken Lena's offer and just taken some food with us." Lavi groaned as we walked towards the building, "Man, I really wish we—"

"We didn't." I snapped, "Because you wanted to get out of here. Make yourself something when we get in." I nodded slightly towards one of the workers. She tried to smile back. She had been the one we ran into this morning, when I practically dragged Lavi through the lobby with a bloody towel around his arm. She apparently hated the sight of blood.

"But _Yuu-chan_! I can barely move my arm! How can I cook for myself?!" he continued to complain as we took the elevator up to the top floor. "Are you going to answer me?" he asked as we made our way through the front door.

The look I gave him answered that question for him.

But it didn't stop him from saying anything else about it. "Y'mean you won't be nice—_just this once_?" His tone was pleading, but it sounded like he had an ulterior motive behind it. "even if I was_ just about_ to tell you about…this…?" he choked on the word 'this', which made it seem even more real than he intended.

Might as well play along. "You…fine. What do you want?"

Immediately his expression brightened. "Really? You actually—" he quickly cut himself off, "—I want _pancakes_! Pancakes with lots of Strawberry syrup!"

I grimaced, "What am _I_ supposed to eat, then?" He knew I hated sweet things.

"Pancakes, of course!" He was literally beaming now, "Eating ramen noodles for breakfast just _isn't _healthy!"

"I don't normally _eat_ breakfast in the first place." I muttered, but he didn't seem to hear me. Instead he almost _pranced_ over to the small bar-area jutting off from the sink and pulled the stool out, sitting in it immediately.

Was he actually going to watch me cook and _not_ watch television? His smile widened even more and immediately I turned away. I didn't need to be staring at him. I needed to start making those sickeningly sweet bread-cake things. I already knew I wasn't going to like this…

I got out everything I needed and, surprisingly enough we still had some mix left from however long ago Lavi had used it last. I already knew he brought it with him when he moved in. I never even so much as _looked_ at the box when it was on the shelf in the Grocery store.

A few minutes later and I sat the bowl down in front of Lavi, "Be useful. Stir this." He opened his mouth to protest, but then he quickly shut it. He took the spoon carefully and began to mix the batter.

He was even better at it than I was. Then again he was probably used to making pancakes for himself whenever he felt like it.

"All done!" he chimed _just_ as the pan was getting hot enough. I heard him get up, the stool's legs grated along the tiled flooring, and walk over to me. I turned just in time to grab the bowl from his hands before he ran into me. He smiled awkwardly before backing away and leaning against the bar.

I felt his eyes on me the entire time, up until I placed the last pancake neatly on the already large stack. I turned around and handed him the plate. I had only given myself two, and he noticed. But he didn't try to say anything, he just sat down on the stool he had occupied earlier and began eating.

In less than a minute the pancakes were gone.

"You're almost as bad as the Bean Sprout." I muttered, shaking my head from side to side as I continued to cut into the second pancake, even though I knew I wasn't going to eat it. "Now tell me, how did _that_," he flinched at the word, "happen?"

The look on his face made me wonder for a second if I was just better off _not_ knowing. But he promised, and this wasn't a horror movie, I was okay with blood. It didn't keep him from answering quickly, though. Instead he just stared around the room, at the different photo's he had taken at various times, for various assignments, or even just for fun.

Then his eyes found mine and the look in his eyes was suddenly very serious. I was expecting some kind of deep long discussion about it, me having to pry most of it out of him. But he spoke easily enough, "Eh, like I said before I tried my best. I deserve brownie points definitely." I nodded my head, waiting patiently. "The guy already left when I called you. You wouldn't've even seen him no matter how fast you were driving."

He was wasting his time on the pointless little details. This wasn't going to be as easy as he made it sound like it was going to be. I really would have to interrogate him. No matter how much of an idiot he was for doing this, I didn't want to go that far. He could just end up blackmailing me for it later, or even worse he would lie. He was good at lying…about certain things.

Suddenly he reached out and took a strand of my hair in his hands, "You need to wear your hair down more often." He randomly stated, "I mean its fine in a ponytail but…I hardly see it down anymore." I didn't respond to that, and he knew I wasn't going to so he continued. "But y'know, I…did something stupid for a _reason_. I was stupid for a reason." I blinked a few times, shocked by the sudden power behind his voice. It sounded like he actually meant every word of what he was saying.

"If I wasn't stupid for a reason, then," he chuckled but it held no life behind it, "it would've been bad. Because in the end." He abruptly stood up; nearly making the stool he was sitting in fall over, "In the end I did it for _you_."

--

**And here's the end of Chapter One. Like I said at the beginning this took 4 tries to upload, and so most of my editing this time around probably isn't that great. So if you see anything: PLEASE TELL ME and I shall try my best to change it. As always Reviews are welcome! I love them more than I do fav's/alerts (though those are just as lovely too). I want to hear people's opinion on this story since I'm still new at this section. **

**Till the next chapter **

**-Harmony283**


	3. Too Addicted

**A/N: Well today's Saturday and I have no homework (which never happens anymore…) so yeah, here's the next chapter (that I finished last night)! Basically in this…Lavi and Kanda talk. Lavi let's out a little more on the 'I did it for you' thing he left off with in the last chapter. But then after a few photo's he disappears again until 9PM at night, and when he comes back he has photos and he's drunk: what the heck happened? And will he even **_**tell**_** Kanda? **

**Note: One thing I forgot to mention last chapter: Kanda drove Lavi to the hospital at 6AM (yeah, that early), and they were at the restaurant from 8AM to 9AM (ish), and this is taking place on a Sunday. Just in case anyone was confused on the date of this (which I usually **_**like**_** to mention, for the sake of less confusion, but I never got around to it in this fanfic) **

**asdg: **What can I say? I love cliffhangers (I even do them unintentionally now). But I'm so glad you think this is one of the best LxK fics you've read on here! -has read most of them too- That makes me happy! And of course thanks so much for the review: and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

--

My eyes narrowed as I watched him abruptly get up and walk across the room towards the window. The curtains were still closed, and that bugged him. He ripped the curtains open, and let out a sigh as he leaned against the cool glass.

"Lavi."

"Do I have to say anything else?" He asked, his voice suddenly too quiet. I slowly got up, leaving the mostly-uneaten breakfast and dirty plates where they were. I walked towards him and he didn't seem to notice until I was practically right behind him.

"Yes." I answered my voice cold. "When it has anything to do with me. Yes." I paused for a moment, seeing the pained expression on his face reflected in the window. "Why?"

"Does it matter?" He muttered, balling his left hand into a fist, "It's over with, so there."

My eyes narrowed even further as I crossed my arms over my chest, "Right. You're an idiot, Lavi." He tensed at that, "An idiot that doesn't learn. You'll do this again." It wasn't a question. I knew he was going to. "If it has anything to do with me, I'll be the one to—"

Suddenly Lavi whirled around "Do you have any--?!" he gripped my shoulders tightly, much tighter than he probably should have while he was hurt. But his hands didn't stay on my shoulders for long before I roughly shoved him into the glass window, not hard enough to break the glass, but hard enough to show him that I was serious.

"No I don't have any idea of what happened." I dropped my voice to a low hiss, "Care to explain?"

He flinched and rubbed his hurt arm, focusing his eyes on the hardwood floor before muttering, "Can't we just get over it?" he glanced up at me only to look quickly back down again. "Obviously not." He let out a defeated sigh.

"Yes obviously not." I stated, "Not when you react like that."

"Are ya worried, Yuu-chan?" he was trying to bring back some playfulness in his voice, but it was too soon and too out of place.

I shook my head, "Don't play those cards with me." He flinched, "They won't work. Not this time." I had to admit I let him get away with it before, but I wasn't now. "First you act up when we see the Bean Sprout and Lenalee again—they're probably going to come over later—and who knows maybe even Road and Tyki—"

"—Look, if they're worried they'll come over when they come over." He stepped away from the window, and walked right past me.

"And where are you going?" I asked, watching as he walked to his room. The plus side of a flat was it didn't have any doors, except to the bathroom. I could follow him easily if I wanted to, and that's exactly what I did. I walked to the 'doorway' to his room and leaned against the wall. He was looking under his bed for something.

"To get my camera." He replied, looking over his shoulder at me briefly as he pulled out the case for said camera. "To take pictures, might as well do it now." It was just an excuse to get out of the house. His hands were shaking, and his voice was strained.

"Pictures of what?" I asked, just for the sake of wondering.

"Eh, you know…nature, buildings, cars," he turned to face me, holding the camera up like he was about to take a picture, "people." I didn't even get a chance to blink before I was trying to get the dots out of my eyes. Stupid flash, never liked it, never—

Wait.

Suddenly I was tugged forward to a laughing Lavi and I felt the mattress creak under my weight, and my hair fell loose around my shoulders. I wasn't looking directly at the camera now, but I still saw the flash out of the corner of my eye.

That—

"Lavi."

Before I could even get off the bed, much less find my hair tie, I heard Lavi run out of the room laughing. For a second I thought he'd run out the front door as well—but I never heard a door open, much less close.

"Lavi!" I practically shouted as I walked into the living room. And there he was, laughing his ass off, sitting on the couch.

He grinned when he saw me and held up the camera in one hand and my hair tie in the other, "Y'know you look really hot with your hair down." If he hadn't been laughing I would've thought that he was saying that as some sort of elaborately misplaced joke. And it wasn't funny.

"That's not funny." I walked towards him quickly and tried to grab the hair tie from his hand. But he moved, and dropped it on one of the cushions behind him. I had to lean over him to get it, and somehow I thought that that was a bad idea. He was still laughing. But at the same time there was something more…sincere…in it.

"Yeah it is." He replied back, finally stopping the almost-insane laughter. To replace it he tugged me down on the couch next to him. "But do you really want to know why I got hurt for you?" It was a complete change of subjects. From a funny one, to one he refused to talk about not even ten minutes ago.

"What?" was the only word that I managed to force out of my throat as I tried to stealthily reach behind him to grab my hair tie. I doubted already that he would tell me the whole truth, or even half of it. Especially not if I paid any attention to him. But I didn't do too well. He noticed immediately what I was doing and grabbed my hand.

"Because I'm stupid." He answered, the look on his face happy, but it was just a mask of it. "I'm a stupid idiot who has no idea what he's doing sometimes." He squeezed my hand before continuing, "I don't realize a damn thing until I'm too addicted to it to care anymore."

Why he was making a drug reference I didn't know. But it seemed to snap him out of whatever else he was going to say and almost immediately he dropped my hand and shook his head, "The Pill of Life I guess you could say." He grinned, "I almost forgot again. I have to step back and take a look at the side effects. It's what a good artist does, right?" he grinned and it hit me with how real it looked. Goofy, but still very real, and very…something, something I didn't know the name for.

"I…suppose. But what's this on pills?" I asked lightly, "Is the pain—"

"Nope, it isn't. If it was I'd notice." His grin faltered but it was no-less sincere, "I'd better get goin' before it starts to wear off, though." Immediately he got up off the couch and walked towards the door, slinging his camera over his neck. He turned back to me for a moment, before he opened the door and stepped out, and said, "If Allen or Lenalee calls before I get back, tell 'em I'm fine, would ya?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "But they know you aren't."

He gave me a weird look before sighing and turning away, "Eh, well if they call before I get back, tell 'em I'm out taking shots of memory." And then he walked out the door and slammed it.

Almost a split second afterwards I could hear his cell phone ring—and I heard him pause to answer it. I didn't even try, much less get a chance, to hear the conversation because almost directly after Lavi said 'Hello' the apartment phone began to ring. I got up from the couch and quickly made my way over to its place on the counter closest to the door. I heard footsteps echoing along the hallway outside, which mean that Lavi definitely wasn't sticking around to see who it was.

The phone rang for a third time, and I answered it. "Hello?"

"Kanda!" It was Lenalee, "I…um…is—" she was practically shouting into the phone, it was obvious she either had just gotten off of work, or she was still working and had caught some extra free time since we left. But I knew what she was going to say, so I cut her off.

"Lavi's…fine."

"No he isn't!" she raised her voice even more, "His arm…!"

"Besides his arm," I stated in the same calm tone, she'd calm down eventually, I knew that. "He's fine. He's…sorry for snapping like that earlier. It's a side effect." Where that little lie had come from I didn't know, but it sounded convincing enough. Lavi could play around with it as much as he wanted to when I told him later.

"Of the medicine?" I was right, she was calming down. "I-I see…but, um, R-Road and Tyki both wanted to apologize as well. Road's actually here with me." I heard a very loud 'Hi' in the background, "Is he…?"

"You just missed him. Literally. He walked out the door about a minute before you called." There was no reason to lie about that.

"Can you—"

"And he was on his cell-phone when he left."

"Oh…" she sounded upset for a moment before she brightened up, "Where's he going? Do you know when he'll be back?"

I leaned against the counter, eyeing the doorway for a moment before responding; "Taking pictures." I knew what she was going to ask me next. It was almost a mandatory question whenever photo-taking occurred.

"He took a picture of you with your hair down again, didn't he?" she was giggling now, "I can't wait to see it!" then hurriedly she added on, "Tell him to call me on my cell phone when he gets back—I have to go now." Then just like that she hung up.

I didn't even get a chance to protest, or lie, about him taking a picture of me with my hair down. I never knew why he did it, but almost always the first picture on his new camera would be of me. The past few times had been me with my hair down. This time wasn't any different. She'd probably ooh and ahh over the picture, begging to give her a copy to put in her scrapbook—

But she'd get the wrong idea. The idea hit me so hard I almost dropped the phone. I had a habit of doing that now. Me with my hair down on Lavi's bed. She had been in his room before, back before he moved here with me, and he had the exact same bedcover. Crap. That wasn't—that wasn't good at all.

No. I was overreacting. It was nothing like that. It wouldn't be. Ever. I let out a sigh that sounded too tired for its own good before I walked over to the bar and began to clean off the dishes. No use in waiting around for Lavi to get back and tell him to clean them. He'd find some way to get out of it. He might even leave again.

And I didn't even know when he'd be back.

--(9 P.M at Night)--

"Lavi." I hissed out, glaring at the half-dead looking person in front of me. "What the—what did you do now?" He didn't really look at me as he stumbled in through the door. It was obvious he was drunk, he never really held alcohol well, but he was under aged. That wasn't good. I hadn't even been there to drive him home. "And who drove you home?" I tacked the question down at the end, even though I knew he wasn't going to be too happy about it.

He stumbled into his room and fell flat on his face, "Yuu-chan do I hafta tell you ev'rythin'?" I highly doubted he even knew what was coming out of his mouth at this point.

"When I have to deal with three phone calls from Lenalee, one from Bookman, and the fact that you were supposed to take your pain killers an hour ago yes I think you have to tell me when you randomly disappear for practically half the day."

"I wasn' gone for 'alf the day." He mumbled through his pillow, tugging off his head band with one hand.

"You were gone since a little after eight thirty this morning, remember? I had to rush you to the hospital at six…?" I moved towards him and he groaned, rolling over so that he was now staring up at the ceiling. He winced when he moved his arm and I knew that he'd need the pain medication soon. "And where's your camera?"

"S' ousside…" his words slurred, "hangin' on tha…door…" he covered his eyes with his bandaged arm, waving the other one in the air, "need ta develop the photo's…dun…want to forget…"

I scowled at that, "Would you really forget something like that when it was a grade?" He didn't answer, and for a moment I thought he had fallen asleep. But then he suddenly moved his arm away from his face and sat up.

"Do ya wanna see 'em?"

I blinked, "What?" then it dawned on me, "The photos?" I hesitated when he nodded his head. If I said no—which really I'd see them anyway when he developed them—he probably wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the night. But if I said yes then…I let out a sigh and nodded my head, attempting to spread at least a somewhat-real smile on my face, "Sure, why not?"

He grinned at me and tried to get up, only to fall back on the bed, "Can…ya…get it for me…?" he asked, groaning as he fell back on the bed and covered his face with his unwounded hand, "I dun' think I can…"

I let out another sigh and turned around, quickly walking to the front door—thankful that his room was closer to it now than mine was—and unlooping the strap on the camera-case from around the doorknob. I carried it carefully back to his room, knowing full well that it had been one of the more expensive, not to mention sentimental, things Lavi had bought.

"Here it is." I handed him the case and he clumsily undid the clasp in the front. He pulled out the camera and turned it on. It was digital, but it looked like one of those old fashioned camera's that professional photographers used. "C'mere, c'mere," he motioned, scooting over on the bed so I could sit down next to him. Reluctantly—since I knew just this morning there had been bloodstains on these very same sheets, bloodstains I had had to clean myself—I climbed onto the bed and slid over close enough to him so that I could see the screen the pictures would appear on.

"Look," he turned it on, and switched it so that it showed the pictures he had just taken. The first picture was of me standing in the doorway to his room with a half-irritated, half-worried—no matter how much I hated to show that emotion—expression on my face. The one directly after that was the one with me on his bed. Again I tried to ignore the fact that I was probably sitting on a bloodstain, the thought disturbed me since it was really blood, and not just the kind in horror movies. Surprisingly though, he had only got a close up of my face and a bit of my shoulders. I was looking away from the camera like I knew I had been when he took it, and my hair fell half in my face, and half over my shoulder. Again I looked irritated, but also surprised. The thing I hated most, though, was it actually looked like a decent picture. Something he would actually use at one point.

I looked over at him when I heard a chuckle leave his throat. He smiled at me in a goofily drunk way, "Ya still look so…pretty in this. Like a girl or woman." I glared at him. "Seriously! I mean that in a good way!" My glare intensified, "I can't wait to show this to Lenalee! Do ya think it's a good apology…?" the look in his eye turned both questioning and serious. It took me off guard, and all I could do was nod. It would've been stupid of me to think that he hadn't at least thought about how many times she would've called. They were like brother and sister, after all.

"Good." He looked at the picture, almost affectionately, for a few seconds before shaking his head, "I got a few other good ones! See," he went on to the next picture. This one, unlike the first two, wasn't a picture of a person. It was a picture of a tree. It was the same one that was out front, the one that if it fell could probably do damage to the building but at the same time it was the one the owners loved and refused to cut down. But from the angle—aimed up at the tree branches, not far away, it looked like it could've been in a park. The only thing that gave it away was the bell-chimes hanging on one of the branches.

He switched to the next picture quickly, this one was the picture of another tree, but it was farther away, and it was facing the sun—so it almost looked like the tree was black. "Had to squint while takin' this one." Lavi murmured directly in my ear, making me stiffen slightly. He didn't seem to notice and continued on, "But I like the way it turned out." He shifted closer to me, intentional or not, and switched to the next picture.

This one was an odd angle of the traffic coming and going from the intersection where the accident had happened early this morning. It also had a view of some of the close-by buildings, along with a few people walking along the sidewalks in front of them. It was a very 'down-home' sort of picture.

He was about to change the picture again, but then he seemed to realize something and immediately jerked the camera away from my view. He clicked the 'next' button a few times, muttering, "Jus' some repeats…an' stuff. Don't like much of 'em." I waited patiently—already guessing that I wouldn't want to see those pictures yet anyway—until he moved closer again, thrusting the camera once more in front of my face.

This one was a picture of the sign right outside the bar I was pretty sure he got drunk at. The Dancing Pineapple. For emphasis it even had a neon pineapple with legs that, if this hadn't just been a photo, would've been moving. I drove by it a few times, but never went in.

"You have a weird taste in places to get drunk at." I stated, and even though I was trying to be serious it was way too funny.

Lavi thought so too and he grinned, relaxing even more against the headboard, "Heh, yeah, an' they didn' have anythin' good either." He pulled me back against the headboard with him, and snaked an arm around my waist so that I could see the camera better.

"Yes but it had alcohol in it." I replied, trying to inch away from him. I knew he was drunk, but I had my personal space, and he was thoroughly invading it now. "That's all that matters, isn't it?"

"Yeah I guess." I thought he'd try to deny it, but he was probably too drunk even for that. "S'okay though. Jus' another stupid thing." He let out a slurred laugh, "Jus' another thing ta add, y'know? Jus' another thing…" he looked at the camera for a moment, a strangely sad look in his eye, before he quietly shut the camera off and dropped it on the bed beside him. He turned to me about a second later—before I could move any further out of his grip—and mumbled, "I'm jus' stupid sometimes. I don't know what the damn hell's good for me unless I have it right in front of my face." He let out another laugh, but this time it sounded strangled, "And by the time I realize that, it's too late. I thought I found somethin' perf'ct somewhere else."

I knew I was better off not asking, and that it wasn't like me to ask in the first place, but what he said…he normally didn't say things like that. "And by 'perfect' and 'good' you mean…?"

For a moment he was silent, he just stared at me. To say it wasn't strange, not to mention _awkward_, to have him sit there and memorize your face—which I knew he was doing—would be a blatant understatement. My stomach felt too cold, I felt too cold in general. Stupid mind, suddenly jumping to conclusions.

"D'ya think it'd be okay," he suddenly asked, "theoretically, I mean, if someone dated someone else just for the sake of it?" he wasn't looking at me anymore, he was looking at the large black and white photo of me, the Bean Sprout, and Lenalee at the carnival one year. I didn't know why he still kept it up, it was old, my hair was shorter to the point it was noticeable, and Lenalee and the Bean Sprout hadn't hit their 'growth spurts' yet. I felt old looking at it.

Then I remembered he asked a question. I peeled my eyes away from the picture and looked out the doorway and into the living room, "Tch, why are you asking _me_ that?"

He let out a laugh at that, "Yeah why _am_ I askin' you that, Mister Frigid-as-Hell."

I turned to glare at him, "Would you _stop_ calling me that! It…doesn't even make any sense!" the last few words were rushed to the point that I hoped he hadn't heard them. If he did who _knew_ what crazy meaning he would come up with. I didn't want to know. I didn't want to know. But a part of my mind kept telling me I did.

A sly grin swept across his lips and I suddenly knew that _yes_ I shouldn't have said that. "'course it does." He stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "You're jus'…_frigid_, ya don't really let anyone in close," he moved closer to me, tightening the arm around my waist until it felt like he was squeezing me. It wasn't hard, it was his wounded arm, after all, but it was definitely uncomfortable, or at least it would be if this conversation took a turn in _that_ direction.

"See? Ya just _flinch_. Ya gotta stop that." He shifted his arm so that his palm was laying flat against my back, then slowly he pulled it back so that it was resting comfortably between us. "And of course there's tha _other_ reason." I tensed even more. "I doubt if ya ever found anyone ya'd never…y'know…_move_," suddenly he was in front of me, literally, but _not_ literally, pinning me to the headboard. "Unless Hell froze over." His grin was sloppy at best, and not just because he was drunk.

"Like.I.would.ever.do.that._anyway_." I hissed out quickly, feeling my face burning despite the fact, as I said, I _knew_ that was not going to happen.

"Ya can't say that though! What if some guy mistakes ya for a girl at a bar and takes ya to the back and—" his face twisted in horror at the thought, and it was hard to keep my own face expressionless.

"I assure you that man would _not _live to tell the tale." I paused for a moment, considering the words I was going to say next, "And I don't go to bars. I'll make a point not to."

"'less you're with me, right?" his voice suddenly sounded pleading. And for a split second a horrible thought planted itself in my mind. What if—what if _Lavi_ was the guy that mistakes me for a girl?

"Because what if _you're_ the one who—" I shut my mouth quickly, not even sure when I had opened it to speak in the first place. I did_ not_ want to say what I just thought out loud. That would be—

Lavi's one good eye glinted mischievously as he answered, but I already knew I wasn't going to like what he said. "W_ell_, you _are_ pretty enough to be mistaken as a girl." I leaned in even closer and I tensed even more. The smirk plastered to his face was more than just a little unsettling. "An'…I wouldn't mind…" my eyes widened at that and he _laughed_, "What? It's the truth. You can't _say_ ya aren't good lookin'. The entire class was starin' at you in class on Friday."

I shook my head, not really believing what I was hearing. "No they—"

"Yeah they _were_." Lavi cut me off, "If ya'd like, I'll keep 'em away from ya." His forehead was practically touching mine now, and I resisted the urge to shove him off me. He was clingy, he always _had_ been, and I always shoved him away when he got too close. But if I shoved him away now he'd probably fall off the bed, land on his arm, and reopen the stitches, which reminded me—he needed his pain medicine. Now.

"You wouldn't be able to." I pointed out, though again I regretted it. I _didn't_ want to go down this route to begin with, and we were, and I was initiating it, and he needed his pain medication now or—

"I can think of a few ways." The grin on his face softened to a smile. Then he shifted, burying his head into the side of my neck. My body was a stiff as a telephone pole now, I was sure of it. "But I _can't_." the words were soft, and _way too close_ to my ear for comfort.

The words interested _that_ side of my brain though, the portion that couldn't help but convince me I wanted to have this conversation in the first place, "What do you mean you can't?"

"I—" for a moment he choked on his words before he found the right ones, "I'm…really…what do you think of dating…for the sake of…?"

"It's low." I told him right of the bat, "Especially if you don't _care_ for that person. Why? Are you…?" then it dawned on me. He wasn't just asking theoretically like he claimed he was, "You're dating someone."

I felt him tense. It was enough of a 'yes' for me. "But I like 'im," Lavi mumbled, his lips brushing up against the collar of my shirt, and against the skin beneath, "a little. Not really in a _good_ way but…is it okay?" he pressed his face even closer to the side of my neck, "just for now?"

I honestly didn't know what to say to that. I couldn't give him a straight answer, so I gave him a question instead. "Why date this…guy…if you don't think you'll stay together? Don't tell me he's—"

"Not." Lavi quickly answered for me, "It…not like that." He pulled away from me for a moment, looking me straight in the eyes, "I'm not _that_ hopeless. I only did that in High school, remember?" I remembered clearly enough, clearer than both Lenalee and the Bean Sprout did. They didn't even _know_ he 'swung that way' as most charmingly put it.

"I ran into the guy at the bar, actually." Now Lavi was sitting up fully, looking at me with a strange half-worried, but half-relieved look on his face, "_No_ we didn't do anythin', we just…got a few drinks…he said he liked_ me_." He put emphasis on the word 'me' and not the word 'like'. That caught my attention. Normally the emphasis would be on _like_, since he didn't even know—

"So it's okay, right?" his voice was again pleading, "Jus' for now?"

"How long is 'for now'?" I couldn't help but suddenly feel worried again, "Lavi is this going to last more than a month?"

"It's gonna have to." But he didn't sound happy about saying that, he looked almost sad, and twice as worried as before.

"How much longer than a month?" I asked, wondering what his response would be.

"Dunno, it depends on…if things _work out_." He didn't meet my eyes when he said that. And now he was nervous. Almost like he didn't _want_ it to work out, or if it _didn't _work out then something bad would happen.

"You'll have to be careful." It was the only thing I could think to say. It was the only thing I could ever _really_ say in this situation. And I wasn't just saying this to keep his feelings from being hurt—to stop him from putting_ everything_ into the relationship until he was left dry. God only knew he'd do that, with or without the advice.

"Y'd think it'd be better in College." He immediately knew what I was talking about, "But yeah, I'll…_try_. I won't see 'im much durin' the day, anyway." He smiled uneasily, "Jus'…did anyone else call a'side's Lenalee?"

"Bookman did. Once." He visibly grimaced, "He won't be happy if he finds out you're going down _that_ way again."

"You're the only one _not_ bugged by it." He almost seemed amazed as he said that, "Can't figure out _why_—"

"I already told you." I closed my eyes and gently pushed on his chest to get him to move away, "I _don't care_ about something as trivial as that. If I did then I'd stop," I paused for a moment, trying to find the right word, "_associating_ with you right when you found out."

"An' I'm glad ya didn't." he took my hands before I could move them and squeezed them tightly. And suddenly something felt—felt off. Not _right_. Too close. Like I had suddenly become way too comfortable for my own good. Something I was never used to. It resulted in me nearly shoving him away.

And in the exact moment that I did the phone began to ring.

--

**A/N: Well I think this chapter's a little shorter than the last, but I decided to cut it off here for two main reasons. It's suspenseful (obviously) and I wrote it to get my mind off of something that…was bugging me. The second reason is probably why Kanda sounds a bit off in this chapter. But yeah, **_**anyway**_**, reviews are welcomed with open arms! Have comments, questions, CC? Send it via review! Also I love hearing guesses that people've been making for this story: they're so fun to hear! (glad I'm not the only one who likes to guess on stuff)**

**PS: I drew a piece of fan-art for this chapter too. It's on my deviantArt account (my Homepage) and it should be the first thing in my gallery if you want to see it. It's called :Waiting for Lavi: and I'm quite happy with the way it turned out (considering it's my first time drawing Kanda—he's harder to draw than he looks)**

**Till the next chapter**

**-Harmony283**


	4. Traffic Accident

**A/N: This chapter, in a way, was a little…**_**easier**_** to write, I guess. Then again most of the stuff I write past midnight seems to turn out that way. More grammar mistakes, yeah, but better flow/plot movement/etc. But yes I know it's taken me a while to get this out. I mentioned the reason on dA (my homepage), but I'll say it here too: Because of the need to study for exams for the last two weeks of school. But anyway... this chapter starts off in a dream, more like a nightmare. And to top it all off Lavi wants to go on a 'date'. But what if that little 'date' gets ruined? And if it does then how (does it get ruined)? Read and find out! **

**Note: I finally got ahold of the manga (a friend gave me a site that has up until the most recent released chapters on it--translated an' all) and so hopefully the characters'll be a little more 'in character' now. But that's up to the readers, I guess -shrugs- **

**--**

'_Y-Yuu! Yuu duck!' I barely had time to react before I felt the impact, dull, and slow, spreading first from my chest, then down my legs, through my arms, and finally forming a single stinging pain in the side of my head. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. _

'_Yuu!' Lavi shouted once more, and I vaguely felt someone begin to lift me up and carry me. But to where I didn't know. I couldn't open my eyes, when I tried, the stinging pain in the back of my head only intensified. I felt too small, too. Almost like I was a young child again. Seven, or maybe even Eight, years old._

'_Don't worry son,' an older man—a police officer, my mind easily intergected—said in a soothing voice, 'We've got 'im, we've got 'im.' I was being lowered now, onto something hard and unbelievably flat. I still couldn't open my eyes._

'_Yuu! Yuu!' Lavi called again, 'He—his head!' _

'_We know, son, we know.' The police officer cooed again, 'You're both going to the hospital now. You won't be hurting anymore. We'll get your eye fixed as best we can.' He moved and a few seconds later I heard a crashing sound come from right next to me. 'Easy, son, easy. I just want to take a good look at your eye. Don't you feel it?' _

'_Why should I feel it?' Lavi asked, and I felt added weight on the table, he was sitting on it now, near me. He was grabbing my hand._

'_It's always been like that?' the Police man asked in disbelief._

'_Duh.' Lavi squeezed my hand and then stopped, 'He's bleeding.' _

'_I can see that, son,' the Policeman's voice sounded choked, 'I can see it. Don't squeeze his hand then.' _

'_But he won't wake up.' Lavi sounded panicked now, 'He _never_ sleeps around strangers, he never gets this hurt! He's always careful! Not like me—he _can't_ be like me!' _

'_Son,' I could tell, somehow, that the Policeman was trying to comfort Lavi, and Lavi was now letting him. 'It was an accident. No one can stop an accident.' _

'_But I saw it dammit!' Lavi hissed out, banging his free hand against the table, 'They're dead aren't they? His parents? I know they're dead.' _

_For a moment all was silent, it was like they were staring intently, and a bit gruesomely, at something outside of where we were—wherever that was. Then the Policeman spoke up again, 'We won't know for sure until—' _

'_I know what a dead person looks like. I've seen them before.' I had the feeling that Lavi was looking at me again. I hated it when people stared at me while I was sleeping. I wanted to get up and tell him that. _

'_You…have…?'_

'_Yup.' He made a popping sound with the 'P'. 'I didn't want him to end up like me. But he did. Twice. First then, then now. But then isn't _now_! It shouldn't happen that way!' he banged his free hand on the table again._

'_Son…' _

'_Stop calling me son you—' I could tell Lavi cut himself off, probably by biting his own tongue, 'He's Yuu, he's had enough happen—he doesn't need to _go_ through anymore.' It sounded like he was forcing back a sob now, 'He shoul'n't be 'ere. He shoul'n't. Yuu—Yuu wake up.' _

_He was leaning right over my face now, touching it with his free hand, his fingertips rough from being covered with bandages. I heard him take in a dry heave of a breath. 'Y-Yuu-chan.' He murmured, 'Wake up, don't leave me alone, don't, don't, don't. You don't deserve this Yuu-chan. Yuu-chan—' The rest of his sentence was cut off, to garbled to be even heard. I had the strangest feeling that I was being urged to _really_ wake up. Someone was shaking me on the shoulders, and I could faintly hear their voice—calling out in a familiar way…_

"Yuu-_chaaaaan_!"

My eyes snapped open immediately at the sound of Lavi's voice, it wasn't light and young sounded like the one only moments before, which meant only one thing: it was a dream. And now Lavi was half-leaning over me with a cheerful expression on his face, "Wakie, wakie _Yuu-chan_! You don't wanna be late for class, do ya?" he asked when he realized I was awake, "Or do you want to have a 'ditch day'?"

Ditch days. Skipping class for no apparent reason. I usually jumped to the God-Almighty answer of _NO_ for that, but I couldn't bring myself to jump to conclusions that quickly. Not after the accident, and the blood, and last night, and _now_ that dream. I groaned and threw my arm over my eyes, trying to block out the suddenly light I was just _now_ noticing. Bad thing about flats: too many windows, too much light, too early in the goddamn morning.

"Ehhh?! You aren't gonna say _no_?!" Lavi seemed shocked at this, he even grabbed my arm away from my face—or tried to, anyway—I rolled over before he could reach it. "_Kan-da_!" I contemplated for a moment on whether or not I should throw my pillow at him before I decided I wasn't _that_ childish. I usually never slept in either.

Which brought up the question of _why_ Lavi was up before me. Especially after last night.

"Come _on _Kan-_da_!" I felt a hand on my shoulder and I grunted, finally turning so that I was laying flat on my back, staring up at him. His hair was wet, and he still wasn't wearing his headband. He looked like he had too much coffee, his shoulder kept twitching. But the giddiness left almost immediately when his eyes locked on mine, "What's wrong?" It was immediate and I couldn't say I _didn't_ hear the concern there.

I sat up; it took more effort than normal, and shook my head, "Nothing. Need a shower." I gave him a pointed look and immediately he backed away. I kicked the covers off, noting that I hadn't changed out of the clothes I had worn yesterday, they were wrinkled now, and _very_ uncomfortable. Not that I cared about comfort. It was the least of my worries at the moment.

"You sure you're okay?" I nodded curtly, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and getting up. I walked slowly over to the dresser I kept most of my clothes in and pulled out a pair of clean jeans. I knew I should've grabbed a clean shirt from my closet, but I couldn't bring myself to care at the moment. Everything felt so oddly dull, and at the same time too vibrant, like I was digitally entered into a photograph I didn't belong in.

I turned to walk out the doorway of my room, but Lavi was still standing there, watching me, observing every movement like he was committing it to memory for unknown reasons. "_What_?" I snapped, turning fully to face him.

He eyed me steadily with his one good eye, before moving forward slowly, "You look lost." He stated gently, resting his right hand on my shoulder in a gentle grip. Before I could protest against that—or ask him what he even _meant_ by those words—he cut me off. "You had a nightmare."

Whatever I had been about to say died immediately on my lips. And he knew he was right. But he didn't look smug about it, as he would have under any other situation if he guessed right. He looked sad, almost. "Was it about…?"

I pulled away from his grip and steadily walked by him, hissing out at the last minute, "What do you think?" He would guess it eventually; there was no point in leaving him hanging. He would guess, and he would most likely be right. But _why_ I had a dream about something I wasn't exactly _conscious _for I would never understand. It wasn't the first time I had that dream though, I stopped and stared over at the blood red curtains, shielding most of the sun shining in through the large window, and it was almost required that it wouldn't be the last.

Nothing ever worked out that way. Ever.

I let out a sigh and slowly walked towards the bathroom, slipping inside before Lavi could get another word out and turning on the water. A shower would do me at least a little good.

"Kan-_daaa_!" I heard Lavi's muted voice through the closed door of the bathroom, and for a horrifying moment I thought he was going to come in. But he didn't. Instead he asked, "You want anything? Y'know…for breakfast? I can call in and get somethin' for ya." He had guessed right, apparently. Or at least he thought he did.

I didn't answer, not that he'd be able to hear me even if I did, and eventually he walked away from the door. I vaguely heard the phone ring and him say loudly, "Hey!" before the rest of the conversation became muted.

I slowly slid out of my close, folding them messily on the counter next to the sink before stepping into the now steaming hot water. I tugged my hair tie loose, and allowed my hair to fall around my shoulders. In a few seconds I was soaked. The hot water almost burned my, skin but in a way it was comforting. The steam made me concentrate more on breathing than on what was going through my head.

I didn't know exactly how long I stood there with the water running over me but I knew it was long enough—the water was getting cold. I turned the water off and quickly grabbed my towel, drying myself off quickly before slipping into the clean clothes I had brought with me. I then began searching for the comb I _knew_ I always kept in here. Unless Lavi moved it, which he apparently did. I finally found it, under the sink hiding behind the toilet paper.

After running it through my hair a few times, just to straighten out whatever tangles it had acquired overnight, I set it down in its usual spot—in the right cabinet. I didn't bother putting it back up though, as I grabbed a dry towel and swung it around my shoulders. I could dry my hair while waiting for Lavi to get back—something already told me he had left.

Which was why I was so surprised when the front door burst open right when I stepped out of the bathroom. And there, standing in the door way, looking slightly shocked, but then smiling widely, was Lavi with a bag of food in his hand. I saw the recognizable symbol for the Cross Diner on the front, and I knew it must've been Lenalee, or maybe even the Bean Sprout, on the phone earlier.

"Ya just got out, Yuu?" Lavi asked through his smile, walking into the kitchen and placing the bag of food on the bar. "Perfect timin' on my part!" he laughed as he unloaded the contents of the bag.

It looked like there was enough there to serve six people easily. Then again they always loved to double their proportions. Though this time they tripled them. What, was it like we were expecting company? Company I didn't—

"I think they gave us a little much but, hey, who doesn't like leftovers?" He had the same grin on his face as he placed the Styrofoam trays in front of the stools, one for me, and one for him. "I got a few extra's—y'know, just to see if you like anything else." That made my stomach drop, and _that_ made Lavi laugh. "Heh, what? You don't trust me to get food for you when you're sick?"

I glared at him and shook my head, muttering, "Che, I'm not _sick_," and suddenly the most wonderful little nickname suddenly popped into my head, "baka usagi."

"And _I'm_ not a rabbit." His face visibly reddened, "Or bunny. Or whatever the heck you just called me."

"So says the one who agreed to dress up as the Easter Bunny for Satan's children." I shot back, walking over to one of the stools and sitting down.

"They aren't Satan's children! They're—"

"Just our next door neighbors extended family. I _know_." I stared down at the Styrofoam trey in front of me, the lid was tightly closed but I could smell the ingredients easily. This was most likely what I normally got, thus it was safe to eat.

"And they aren't evil! You just don't like them!" He said as if that'd prove his point entirely that they weren't the worst little—

"That's my point. I _don't_ like them," I fiddled with the plastic wrapper holding the fork and knives together, "they're annoying, and they're idiots, and they're loud, and they're obnoxious, and they're nosy, and they're messy,"

"And they're cute." Lavi interjected

"and they are _not_ cute, and they _cry_ too damn easily."

"But you _scare_ them Yuu-chan!" Lavi suddenly started protesting, waving his arms frantically around. I picked up the fork I had just unwrapped and chucked it at him. It hit him square in the forehead, "Ouch! Hey! That—"

"Didn't hurt." I cut him off, picking up another fork and trying to get the wrapping off of it.

"Yes it _did_! Yuu-chan you're being so grumpy and violent this morning!" Now I could swear he was almost pouting. It was annoying.

"I am _not_ in a bad mood." Though I knew that wasn't exactly true, "You're just overly hyper." I opened the lid on the Styrofoam trey and began to poke through the fried rice mixture contained inside.

"Y'think?" Lavi plopped down on the other stool and began to open his food as well, "Guess it's a side effect from drinking." He shrugged his shoulders and began to cut up the pancakes he had apparently ordered, after dousing them with copious amounts of syrup in the process.

"At least it's better than you throwing up everywhere." I knew I probably shouldn't've commented—drinking was _bad_ habit, a habit that he didn't need along with the generalizations of being an idiot—it would bring too many ideas into his head.

"I gweff" Lavi mumbled, his mouth literally full of the gooey soppy mess he called pancakes. I almost gagged.

"But it's still not a good thing." He swallowed loudly, chugging down the glass of milk I hadn't known he had poured, and turned to look at me. "You're annoying when you're hyper." I clarified.

And he _grinned_ at me, "So I'm not annoying any other time? Yuu-chan that's—"

I let out a loud sigh, cutting him off, "I meant _more _annoying than _usual_." His face fell a bit at that, "Don't think I'd let you off the hook that easily with your…flamboyant—"

"I know." He cut me off this time, a suddenly very gently smile on his lips, "you aren't like that Kan-da!" His one good eye focused on my face and for a second I thought that I had rice on my face. Though I knew I probably didn't because of the look he was getting. "You'd never do that no matter _how_ nice I am to you." The smile was still soft but a little sad as well. "Especially not after a dream like the one you had last night."

I blinked, "It was just a dream." I turned to look back at my half-eaten breakfast, but I didn't feel hungry anymore.

"Yeah right, of course it wasn't just a dream."

I glared down at the food, "Yes it—"

"It's a nightmare. You were talking in your sleep."

I blinked and jerked my head up, "And _how_ do you know that?"

He shook his head and smiled sheepishly, "I…woke up early. And there aren't any doors in this place," he picked up his fork and twirled it in his hand, "in case y'forgot."

That…honestly surprised me, "I…"

"You were practically screamin' at one point…like you were," his eye dimmed for a second before he quickly shook his head, "was it…a dream about _that_?"  
We both knew what he meant by 'that'. There was no reason for either of us to even have to explain. Especially now, over breakfast. So I didn't answer, and he didn't ask, and we turned back to eating our breakfast. But not in peace. The tension in the air was too great for that.

And something told me, despite the fact that we both knew what 'that' was, he still wanted confirmation. Then he would log this in his memory and do whatever it was he did last time I had that dream. Because whatever the hell he did it made me forget about it. I hadn't had that dream in, what, nearly a year? That was a record as far as I was concerned.

Rather unsubtly Lavi got up and tossed out whatever he had been eating before walking over to lean on the counter, not even caring to sit down anymore. He watched me eat for a moment, I didn't have that much left, before I finished. Before I could even stand up he took the Styrofoam trey from my hand and threw it in the trash for me.

Then he turned back to face me and I knew what he was going to say.

"Let's go on a date!"

Or not. I stared at him for a moment with, I'm sure, an amusing expression on my face. He was grinning so hard his face looked like it could split in two. That was unnerving. It was like he knew I wouldn't say no, even though I knew I technically could. I could. But somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I wouldn't.

"You still need to take those photo's for photography, right?" And there was _that_ little detail I had so conveniently forgotten about. "Why don't we go downtown and take pictures of stuff? As long as we get back by three we'll be fine."

Three o'clock was when our photography class started. But that wouldn't work. "That won't work." The words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them, "She knows every teacher on campus practically," or at least she had taken pictures of all of them, "She would know that we were absent in all our other classes."

Lavi shook his head and, in an eerily casual way, walked over to me. Before I could protest he had his hand tangled in my hair, "Do you think they _call_ roll in class?"

"We don't go to that big of a school."

"Yeah but we're _adults_," Lavi reminded me, "They trust we know what the hell we're doing by now."

"Even though some don't know what the hell that is…" I grated out, trying to untangle his fingers from my hair.

For a second a look of mock-hurt swept over his features, he even gasped in alarm and pulled away to add to the act, "Oh! Ouch! That's _cold_ Yuu-chan!" Then, oddly, he lowered his voice to a more serious tone, "Do you honestly think I'm _stupid_?" He had a smile plastered to his face while he said this, to make it seem harmless enough, but I could tell he didn't mean it. And the question wasn't just a small one anymore.

I already knew the answer. "No, you aren't _stupid_. You just don't think sometimes."

"Probably," Immediately he went back to playing with my hair, "Your hair's still wet. An' you need to get a shirt on." He mumbled absentmindedly, and this time I felt like listening. For whatever the hell reason caused _that_ I didn't know. "C'mon, Yuu-chan—don't jus' sit there! Let's go! The day's still young, we can take tons of pictures!" He didn't sound as serious as he had moments before, but I could still hear it there in his voice. I couldn't think of anything that would get rid of it.

Unless I agreed. "Fine," I let out a sigh, "I'm going, I'm going." I slid off the stool and made my way to my bedroom. If this place _had_ doors I would've slammed it in Lavi's face. But it didn't, so I didn't, so he got to stand there and watch me get ready. Thankfully all I needed to get was a shirt, that wasn't as bad. But with him _staring_ at me…

I glared at him over my shoulder as I thumbed through my closet, "It's rude to stare."

"You aren't naked though." He had a goofy grin on his face, but his eyes were watching me, analyzing me like I _knew_ they could. "Besides you haven't got anything that I don't already know about."

I didn't let that faze me, "Stop staring." I chose a shirt—a tight fitting black shortsleeved turtleneck—and slipped it over my head.

"You still need to put your hair up." He whispered right in my ear, and suddenly I was aware of _just how close_ he really was. I could feel his breath against my still slightly-damp skin and it was _unnerving_. "Want me to help?" He asked off-handedly, "Just brushing it out, I mean." He concluded, his voice sounding hopeful.

I turned around to face him, a voice in the back of my mind telling me I was way too close for comfort, and shook my head, "Personal space first." But I _didn't_ say no.

"So I can?" He immediately stepped backwards, "really?" He watched me as I walked over to the small box I kept on the top of my dresser. I pulled out a hair tie from it and walked back over to the mirror next to closet. Lavi was right behind me again, holding a comb I _knew_ was mine, but had no idea exactly how he got. "okay then," he started to run the comb gently through my hair, "just a ponytail right?"

"Whatever." I shrugged, and suddenly I felt his fingers twist their way into my hair again. They worked quickly, and before I could even ask what he was doing he was already done. He snatched the hair tie away from my hand and tied the ending, a grin on his face. "What…?" I asked, and he showed me.

He braided my hair.

"It won't tangle as much this way." He said in defense even before I said I hated it. "Now _let's go_! If we get finished before lunch then we can go to that Bar I went to last night—they serve lunch too, y'know." My eyes widened at that, and that made him laugh. "Don't worry, I won't get drunk. They _serve_ beer, but not specialty drinks like at night. Lotsa people go there to view sports. Even Poker!"

An image of the Bean Sprout, sitting in front of a group of people after getting his fifth Royal Straight Flush came to mind. "Reminds me of the Bean Sprout." I didn't know why I decided to say that, but it was a well known fact. The kid learned to play Poker—and _cheat_—from Cross.

"Never did like that guy that much." Lavi muttered, "It's just wrong, teachin' a kid how to cheat before they even get the game straight." He shook his head from side to side before grabbing my hand and literally _dragging_ me out into the living room. My shoes were by the door still, which was where I had left them yesterday.

"But, y'know, we'll just worry about eating." He continued on with our 'plans' for the day, "an' then we might be able to go to that movie I've been wanting to see lately. Y'know, the one with Leanne Audi in it as the star?"

"But that's a horror film." I pointed out, "You don't like horror." He laughed uneasily for a moment before shaking his head in denial.

"No I don't." He stated in an almost-too-high-pitched voice, as if trying to prove his point.

"Right." I didn't believe it though, "Tell me that after you go to the bathroom ten times, and then say you have a headache and want to go home." He gave me an odd look at that, and almost opened his mouth to ask about it, but I cut him off. "You did that when we went to see the redone version of The Birds. You hated it when the children started singing near the beginning."

His face immediately paled at that, "W-Well that _was_ creepy! Y'know I hate when they involve kids in it!"

"And this movie has lots of kids in it."

"But..but…it's not about birds!" Now he was making up an excuse, "Birds can be mean sometimes!"

I almost rolled my eyes at that, "Che, birds are _harmless_. They just make an unneeded mess on your windshield." Or my windshield, since Lavi couldn't drive.

"See! See! They're _ev-iiiilll_!" Now he was acting like a little kid, "Which reminds me, do ya know how to get to downtown…?"

I nodded my head, "I used to work down there, remember?" At one of the oldest bookstores in the city. A place I still went to if I needed to think.

"Ah yeah that's right!" Lavi nodded his head in agreement, "They didn't like me there, though." His expression formed into one of mock sadness.

"Well you _were_ loud."

"Nah, your boss there was just an anti-social prick," He said that so happily that it didn't even sound like an insult.

"He was _not_." But I knew my comment was a few seconds late.

And of course he noticed, "Mhm, _whatever_ you say Yuu-chan!" Somehow he had gotten _right_ next to me again, and his arm _somehow_ found it's way around my shoulder. "We won't go in _there_ though. Okay? I don't feel like reading."

I didn't respond to that and instead I shrugged his arm off my shoulders and grabbed my shoes, slipping them on before standing back up again, "Where's my camera?"

"Y'can use mine." Lavi practically dragged me back towards his room, leaving me at the doorway as he ran over to the small bedside table and grabbed the camera. Then he threw it at me. Just as I managed to catch it he dragged me _back_ into the living room and through the front door, grabbing his wallet and the key's to the flat before opening the door.

He definitely didn't seem like he wanted to stick around here for that long. I gave him a questioning look as I passed him, but right when I was about to speak I heard the phone begin to ring. Lavi ignored it, shut the door, locked it, and began walking away. That's when I spoke up, "Lavi—"

He looked back over his shoulder at me, "Hnn?" but he made no move to stop.

"The phone."

Just a split second later and he answered, "The answering machine'll get it." He didn't even seem to need any time to even _think_ about the words coming out of his mouth.

"What if it's important?"

"Doubt it."

"Is it someone you know?"

Lavi froze.

"Well?"

He turned ever so slightly so that he could see me, "Does it matter?" I glared at the back of his head so intensely that I was _sure_ he got the message. I was right, he answered the question for himself, "Obviously yeah, it does matter."

"Not to you."

He had almost relaxed his posture to the way it normally was, but at my words he stiffened once more. "Should it? If it's so important they'd call me on my cellphone."

"Do you even have it with you?" I questioned back, knowing that he probably _didn't_ have it with him. And even if he did it was probably dead, meaning it wouldn't do the person calling him any good anyway.

"I think I do…" he honestly sounded like he didn't know as he searched through his pockets. He came out empty handed, but just shrugged it off, "Ah, hell, we're wasting time. Do you wanna go and do this assignment before you get a zero on it, or do you wanna worry over some stupid phone call?"

I had to admit he made sense. I _didn't_ want to get a zero. At least not on my first assignment. Photo. Whatever. Not that I cared. It was to make an impression on the professor of a class I didn't even want to be in.

"See? See? You agree with me," he grabbed my arm and dragged me forward down the hall, "now let's get in your care an' _go_." I was aware that the phone had stopped ringing and that the answering machine had clicked on. But from the pace we were going we were already at the elevator before I could even hear the recording.

"Stop dazin' off into space!" I felt myself being dragged through the lobby and out the front door before I was even halfway aware of what Lavi had just said. "You're worryin' about the phone call more than _I_ am. We'll worry about it when we get back! It's probably not important anyway."

"But what if it is?" Were we just going to repeat the argument we just had a few minutes ago? From the set look on his face I could tell Lavi didn't want to, and I didn't either, even though I knew I was right. Or I hoped that I was anyway.

"An' if it _was _important then who would it _be_?" Lavi asked as he walked over to the passengers side of my car. For a second he stared at me, expecting me to give some sort of smart comeback before realizing he didn't want to hear it and thus speaking up again, "I mean think about it. Lenalee and Allen are at _school_ now. They wouldn't call us even if they got a chance to. An' who else is there besides them?"

I knew that was probably a rhetorical question but I answered it anyway, "How about this new 'boyfriend' that you're supposedly dating?" I swiftly unlocked the driver's side door and slipped in, unlocking his door as well before leaning back in the seat and watching him. His reaction more than gave away that, even if he tried to deny it, he'd be lying. His body was stiff, stiffer than I had seen it in a while, and his face had gone a sort of pale 'just-saw-a-ghost' color.

"So it is your boyfriend." I confirmed to which he gave a silent nod as he slipped into the seat next to me. "Why would he be calling you? I know you've only been dating what, not even a full day? And he's _already_ calling you?"

"Well some people just like ta keep in contact, y'know. He doesn't exactly _live_ close to here." I looked over my shoulder as he said this, checking to make sure no one was trying to pull out in front of me as I backed out of the parking space.

"How far away _does_ he live?" I asked as I made my way out of the parking lot. I didn't really expect him to answer, but oddly enough—he did.

"About two hours away. Kinda funny though, cuz he has to drive all the way here almost every day." He was leaning his head against the window as he said this, touching his wounded arm like it suddenly started hurting him.

"And why would he drive here every single day? I thought you said that you just started seeing him _last night_."

Lavi shot me a glance before trying to smile, "Cuz he goes to school around here. And he works too."

"Really?" I stopped at a red light, watching as the other cars zoomed by, "What school does he go to?"

He didn't answer, so I tried again.

"Where does he work?"

"Downtown."

"Downtown? Where downtown?"  
"Dunno. Just said he worked downtown." He almost seemed embarrassed—or embarrassedly proud—as he said that. "W-We didn't really get much of a chance to…_talk_…last night."

I was sure I made some sort of face because immediately he started to laugh, "What? Swallowed a bug? C'mon Yuu-chan! You didn't honestly think that—?"

"It has nothing to do with me." I cut him off, gritting my teeth as I tried hard not to just _press_ the gas pedal as hard as I possibly could. Thankfully the light turned green before he could open his mouth again, and the traffic seemed to be getting backed up—a perfect excuse not to really listen to him.

"O'course it doesn't! But y'never minded _before_." Lavi whined about a minute later before lowering his voice and muttering, "Does it really bug you that I did something like that with him"

"No." I icily replied in less than a second after the questions left his lips.

"Then stop _actin'_ like it bugs ya!" If I was looking at him I knew he'd have a pout on his face—the one that he got himself 'known' for. I didn't want to see that look on his face, not now, especially not when I was trying to concentrate on the road—so that I didn't hit the car in front of me.

"It _doesn't_ bug me Lavi." I knew I didn't sound convincing though.

"Sure it doesn't. I believe ya." And he didn't believe me for a second, "Then tell me why you're actin' all…all_ cold_ alluva sudden! Or were you really lyin' before and it's been bugging ya the entire time?" It surprised me how _sad_ he suddenly sounded as he said that. It almost made me forget to press the brakes when the car in front of me screeched to a halt.

But I didn't hit it. Just barely, but I didn't. The car behind me, though, it didn't see. The person was talking on their damn _cell phone_ probably. They weren't paying attention, and I felt them hit me, square in the back, shifting _us_ forward enough to where we just barely bumped the left of the already probably totaled car in front of me.

"Holy shit, Holy shit, Holy shit!" I heard Lavi curse under his breath, his eyes glued on something off to the right of us. He noticed me staring at him and somehow managed to turn away enough to look right at me, "I think-I think-I think—they hit someone!"

And I wished I hadn't looked. I wished he hadn't said anything. But there, on the ground, off to the right, halfway under a car, was a pool of blood. And I suddenly felt like I _was_ in one of those horror films, where the blood was fake but was meant to look real. And it made me feel sick. So unbelievably sick.

--

**And that's the end of Chapter…what…three? Yeah three. This one's a bit longer than the last one (in page count), which is good considering it took a while to write it. Wasn't exactly planning on putting in the car accident at the end here, but it felt like it should be there, so it's there. Makes things move a little faster, but then again that's not necessarily a bad thing, now is it? **

**As always R&R! CC is welcome, obviously, as are flames (only if they're relevant to the story). I'm officially on summer break now so **_**hopefully**_** the updates will be coming MUCH quicker this time! And honestly, this chapter's actually out early since I wasn't planning on updating anything until **_**maybe**_** Tuesday. **

**Until the next chapter **

**-Harmony283**


	5. Accused?

**A/N: Gah I feel so bad. I said I was going to update before I went on vacation…but…obviously I didn't, but the good news is that I've got wireless internet at the hotel I'm staying at (which is raaaare) so you get a two day early chapter! -is happy about that- But yeah, anyway, in this chapter Lavi, Kanda, and the other people involved in the wreck have to go to the police station, because apparently it wasn't just a wreck, or at least they don't _think_ it was. Due to unnamed resources they believe the whole thing was set up. Thing is, if this is true, then who's the culprit? And this…is really turning into a murder mystery sort of thing. Oddly enough I hate murder mysteries…someone always dies…**

**Note: There are OC's in this chapter. If you don't like OC's then…I can't say much else except that apparently I'm good at writing them so (hopefully) you'll like them…? That and yeah I don't go into much description, but then again Kanda doesn't strike me as the kind of person who over analyzes something until it's extremely important...**

**Note 2: I also have a picture of both Kefen and Rebecca on my account on deviantArt if you want to see what they look like (it might help with reading this chapter)**

**-- **

"I-I…I-I…!" Lavi tried once more to coax the man in the car to move. He was shaking, badly. And his arm was bleeding. I was surprised he was even conscious, but then again nothing about this seemed all that _normal_ to begin with. "I-I…I-I…didn't mean…!" the man stuttered again, shivering as his eyes widened and then narrowed alternately, like he was trying to focus on something he didn't want to focus on.

"It's not your fault." Lavi hushed, "It was an accident. It was an accident. You didn't mean to hit them. They were just at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"B-But…B-But…her…the body…under my car…!" The man slowly lifted his good arm and covered his eyes with it, letting out a mangled sob, "I didn't…I didn't…I didn't…! They'll blame me! They'll blame me! I know they will!"

"No they won't." Lavi tried to persuade him, "They won't unless they have a goddamn reason to, which they don't. They're the police," he forced a half-smile on his lips, but it was shaky and not all that convincing, "they aren't going to arrest anyone."

"They'll just ask us to come with them." A girl muttered from somewhere behind me. I turned to get a better look at her—she was the one who had been in the car directly in front of us. She was wearing sunglasses and her hair was loose around her shoulders, the tips dyed some sort of salmon red while the rest was a deep golden yellow. Quite honestly she looked like a high school drop out, and what she was wearing really didn't help her out much. No one looked the least bit respectable—at least not in my opinion—if all they wore was a dirty white t-shirt and too-short shorts.

"And then they'll do _what_?" There was a boy with her too, his eyes were wide and scared and he kept flinching every now and then. "Ask u-us what _happened_? It was an a-accident. It'll be e-easy to explain, right?"

The girl easily patted him on the head, "Sure it will. Or I hope so anyway." She eyed me for a moment, then the woman leaning against the car behind us, before eyeing Lavi, and then the man still in the car, "I called them right when it happened—thank god for speed dial—so they should be here soon."

"Be 'ere soon?" the woman leaning against her car asked, lighting a cigarette with a seemingly calm expression on her face despite the fact that her hands were shaking badly, "How long is _soon_? How far away's the station?" Her accent was thick, and her tan was just too deep for her to be anyone who just lived around town.

"About five minutes." The girl stated plainly, "Depends on the traffic an' all, but—" she didn't even get to finish her sentence before we could hear the sirens of both the ambulance and the police cars.

"I-I…don't wanna…! Let me go, let me go, let me go!" The man still in his car practically shouted at Lavi, attempting to close the door to his car despite the fact that almost the entire front of his car was dented in. Even if I didn't know much about cars—much less _care_ that much about them—I knew that the car was in no condition to even be _sitting_ in for a long period of time.

"Yeah and then you'll _really_ be arrested." Lavi hissed back, "That'd be a _real_ smart move on your part. Just get outta the car."

"I-I'll step in the b-blood!"

"No you won't. Not…" Lavi flinched as he looked towards the body, which over on the lower end of the car, mostly obscured from our view, "Not immediately. Not unless the blood…a-anymore blood i-is spilt. A-And I don't think there will be any."

"God that's sick." The girl shivered, "Sick, sick and even _more_ sick." She grabbed the boy next to her and pulled him into a hug that the boy didn't seem to mind._ 'They must be related'_ my mind deduced for me as I just continued to watch in the direction I knew the police would come in.

Sure enough about three minutes later the familiar red and blue lights swirling on the top of white cars could be seen heading in our direction. Two police cars, one ambulance. The ambulance immediately pulled up and the paramedics came out with a stretcher and a body suit—or something that looked like one. They immediately took the body, careful to keep it out of our view, and shifted it onto the stretcher before loading it into the back of the ambulance.

"Is anyone else hurt?" One of the men asked, and that's when Lavi had to practically drag the man out of the car. His arm definitely looked like it was broken, or at least severely cut in a few places. The man immediately was helped onto the vehicle and a few seconds later he burst out into loud sobs that I was sure everyone could here, before the ambulance sped off in the direction from which it came, leaving us alone with the policemen.

The first—a tall, red haired, blue-eyed man a little older than me—walked over to us, followed, at a slower pace, by an older man that looked like he was in his early fifties. The first man pulled out a small notepad and flipped to a certain page, "I need your name, age, date of birth, license, proof of insurance, stuff like that." He stated in a rather high pitched voice as he eyed us each with sad looking eyes.

And immediately we complied. I already had my things out with me, and it seemed like the girl did too. The woman behind us searched frantically for her insurance before finding it—wrinkled and at the _very_ bottom of her purse. Lavi didn't even bother getting his out. Not that he even_ had _a drivers license to begin with.

The man checked each of our licenses and insurance policies before asking, "And what about you?" he was directing the question at Lavi, "Eye imparment yes?" He asked again, nodding to the eyepatch covering his right eye, "And you were riding with someone?" Lavi just nodded his head 'yes'.

"Okay then. Hate to say it, but ya'll need to come down to the station with us." The older man stated, "An' if ya have any family ya'd better call 'em ta come down." He was eyeing the girl and the boy as he said this, but then he was also looking at me and Lavi—since we were both technically eighteen, which meant we could still verywell be in highschool and just be skipping class, for whatever reason.

"Ah…I don't think mama will be happy with me if I called her but," the girl flashed a grin, "I already did. Also on speed dial. Kefen too." She patted the boy on his head, "Mama won't have a problem vouching for you either." The boy—Kefen—didn't even look up, or try to move away, from her; his face was still buried in her stomach.

The officer seemed to believe her—probably since she was the one to call them in the first place—and turned to me, "And you two?" it occurred to me then that Lavi was standing right next to me now.

"I got my grandpa," Lavi shrugged, "But 'e's all the way in…China, I think. Visitin' his grandkids. I don't think he'd like it if I bugged him now. Not unless I was dyin' or somethin'." His attempt at a joke seemed to fall on deaf ears though, at least where the younger policeman was concerned, but the older one just smiled and nodded his head in acceptance.

"And you?" He prodded and I just shrugged.

"Don't have anyone." I muttered, trying to ignore the looks on both of their faces as I said that.

"Grandpa'd vouch for you too!" Lavi immediately interjected. "I guess I could at _least_ call 'im. If it helps."

The older policeman shook his head, "No, no, it's fine. Just…come with us. All of you."

"Why?" The girl immediately asked, "I mean, practically all our cars are totaled—what the heck does _that_ have to do with going to the police station?"

"We need to file this on record." The older man stated coldly, "You have all been officially convicted of murder."

I suddenly felt like I had been pushed off a steep cliff, and was currently hurtling towards the cold ocean below. Needless to say it _wasn't_ a pleasant feeling.

The older of the two policemen coughed loudly to break the uneasy silence before saying, "That's not _entirely_ true. You shouldn't just _say_ that."

"Then what part of it _is_ true?" Lavi asked his voice hoarse and his face paler than I had ever seen it before.

"Fine then," the younger of the two said with a shake of his head, "_One_ of you is a convicted murderer. Well, depending on how many people were in the car with you. They _could_ be accomplices—"

"—Get to the _point_, please," The girl muttered, squeezing the boy—who was _still_ shaking—closer to her, "Some of us have more important places to be at the moment."

The Officer shot her a look before clearing his throat and continuing—only to be cut off by the older Officer, "Right now isn't the best place to talk about this. Officer Cooley, you'll be taking the young ladies and the boy, I'll be taking these two. We have reinforcements coming to help clean up this mess, but we'll make sure everything's under control." He tried to smile but it was too forced to be normal, and soon we were herded into the back of the assigned cars.

It took nearly no time at all for us to reach the police station. It was only a block away, after all. That was to be expected. But when we _got_ there, it felt like we waited ceaselessly for the policemen who had brought us there to come and talk with us. To show us whatever details were needed that told them _one of us_ was the one who hit her on purpose.

Though I knew already it wasn't me. Not that they knew that. Not that I was going to _tell_ that. Just like in a horror movie the one who claims to be innocent is almost always the one who ends up getting punished in the end.

"Y'know," Lavi suddenly spoke up from his position slouched in one of the uncomfortable-looking fold-out chairs, "if we stay 'ere any longer then we'll be 'aving a late lunch." His eyes were focused on the clock, "And we still need to get your picture taken. I hope this doesn't take another four hours."

I shook my head and let out a loud sigh, "I doubt it. They'll probably let us leave right after this."

"Hopefully that's true." The girl suddenly spoke up, walking towards us with Kefen still close by, though albeit calmer than before. She ran a hand through her hair before trying to smile, "The name's Rebecca, in case you didn't hear earlier, and this is Kefen—my, ah, I'm taking care of him at the moment." Kefen mutely bowed his head, seeming to not want to look me in the eyes.

"Rebecca, eh? Do you by any chance work at the Dancing Pineapple?" Lavi questioned, his voice curious but oddly gentle at the same time.

For a moment the girl hesitated before slowly nodding her head, "Yeah I work there, as a bartender. Why'd'ya ask?" she narrowed her eyes for a moment, "You've been there recently?"

Lavi nodded his head, "Last night, actually. With some friends." I could tell that was a lie right off the bat, but usually he _tried_ to be more discreet with his lies, "The name's Lavi, this is Yuu—" I shot him a look and he quickly corrected himself, "—Kanda. We're roommates an' we were _about_ to go finish up a project for one of our classes."

Rebecca seemed amused by this, though, "So you're Japanese?" she asked, which caught me off guard, "I mean…Kanda's your last name right?" I slowly nodded my head, "Cool. But what kind of project?"

"Taking pictures." Lavi held up the camera that he had managed to get out of the car before they herded us away, "It's due today _buuuut_…we've still got a few hours left."

"I see," I wasn't sure what she saw but the look she was giving me, and then the look she was giving Lavi, _almost_ unnerved me, "Kinda bad luck that we wound up here instead! Your teacher'd probably ask a lot of questions if you took a picture of something _here_. She'd probably ask you what the hell you were doin' in a Police station."

"Mm, Maybe," Lavi murmured, a sudden grin wiping its way across his lips, "But y'know, I'd like to see her reaction."

"depending on the kind of lady she is she'll either freak, laugh, or shout at you." Rebecca laughed out, brushing a strand of her dual-colored hair out of her eyes.

And I had the sudden feeling that those two would get along…_very_ well.

"Come to think of it," the girl continued, "I'm going to be late for work if this keeps up. And Kefen here'll be late to his appointment. Guess we're going to have to cancel again." Kefen didn't make any move to protest whatever the 'appointment' had been. He just kept staring at the floor, a strangely blank expression on his face.

Then suddenly he jerked his head up and whipped it around, all at the same time moving closer to Rebecca, "That girl…" his voice cracked slightly, "Her…_brother_…?" His eyes widened before he quickly squeezed them shut.

"They're this way." I heard the sound of the older policeman's voice echo through the small hallway outside the door, "I hope you'll be able to tell. It's horrible what happened to her."

"Don't remind me." A younger voice dully stated before the door was pushed open. Standing there, in the entrance, was a boy who looked like he was ten years old, but who's eyes were staring at us like he was older than I was. His hair was even a sort of grayish color to further prove the 'I'm-older-than-I-look' aura. His eye color as well, matched perfectly.

But his outfit stated something else entirely.

A blue bandana covered his neck, and his shirt, which didn't look like it had been washed for days, had that sort of childish feel to it. Despite it—along with his Capri pants—being almost entirely black. His shoes as well, sneakers that looked well-worn and a little too big, were caked with mud like he had been running through the rain. His hair was even damp, and strewn around messily.

He seemed to realize us staring at him and he stated, "One of these people, right?"

"I don't know, you tell me." The older Officer replied, almost sounding nervous at the same as he was trying to sound sympathetic. The feeling didn't quite erode into his words though, but it was there in his eyes.

"Okay then…I…" he eyed each of us individually for a moment before saying, "These two," he pointed at me, then at Kefen, "They're—they don't 'fit'."

I should have felt relief when he said that, but something in the back of my mind had to question _what_ we had to 'fit' into. The mindset? _His_ mindset? True I was innocent, and Kefen was too young to even really be a proper suspect—especially in a case like _this_—so it made sense. But…

"You can't be sure though," The older policeman asked, "But—fine. You two wait out in the lobby." He motioned for us to follow him, but before I could move Lavi took his camera and shoved it into my hands, like it held some sort of evidence on it that he didn't want confiscated.

"Take it—an' get your project done. I could be here a while." I half expected him to say 'I'll join you soon', but the fact that he didn't made me even more aware of how serious this actually _was_.

Rebecca somehow managed to get Kefen to follow the Policeman out the door, saying how her mother would be here soon to get them out, and how they'd go out for ice cream right after this. It didn't make the boy feel any better, in fact it made his face go that much paler.

We were immediately escorted to another waiting room, where the older Policeman said, "Y'all wait here. You _aren't_ off the hook yet but," He looked at the boy and shook his head, "But I do think the boy's right. But that's just my opinion—and those don't usually get anyone anywhere if y'know what I mean." He tried a smile, and this time it almost worked, before walking back out and closing the door.

Right as he did, though, Kefen walked over to the only window in the room and pressed his face up against the glass, before beginning to play with the blinds that were wedged between the glass. For a while I watched him, his movements, which seemed overly cautious for someone his age.

Then, slowly, he turned back to face me, "Yuu, right?" I went rigid at the sound of my first name, "Like the moon, right?" The boy questioned again, moving his bangs out of his eyes, "A-And Lavi…like a Lion—right?" I had no idea what he was getting at, and it unnerved me. Then again, little kids always had that effect on me. You always had to be annoyingly _careful_ around them. They were so fragile, you could easily hurt them. It was trying on my nerves, to say the least.

Not to mention they had that _innocence_ about them that I knew I never had.

'_Not that that was my fault.' _My inner thoughts interjected, _'It wasn't my fault at all that all those things happened!'_

But hurrah for irony that the _very_ same morning I had_ that_ dream this happened—this accident. Or not-accident. Since it was _apparently_ planned.

"You're annoyed." The boy sounded nervous, "Th-This…isn't what…any of us wanted to happen, y'know. Becca's—she's innocent."

"If she _was_, then she wouldn't _fit,_" I heard the annoyance in my own voice, and the kid heard it too. I tried to feel some other emotion besides that when I saw him flinch, but it _just wasn't there_, "but regardless we're still stuck here. No, today definitely isn't going as planned."

Kefen walked over to one of the chairs in the room, still by a window, before saying softly, "Things never go as planned. How _can_ th-they?" He brought his knees up to his chest and rested his head against his knees, "That boy…he's…the girl that guy hit…that was his sister."

"I figured as much." I sighed out, folding my arms across my chest. Though really, I couldn't say for sure, since I barely saw any part of that girl's body. Not only that, they pronounced her dead _way_ more quickly than I had expected. Then again this wasn't a horror movie. Things weren't meaninglessly drawn out and complicated.

"He's sad. It hurts. But he doesn't want..._that_." the boy's words were so muffled that I barely heard him.

"What?"

"He doesn't want wh-what we call 'revenge'. That's for someone else." It surprised me by how…_meaningful_…and painstakingly _truthful_ the boy's words sounded. Like he was stating the epitome of truth and no one could disagree with him simply for the fact that he was _right_.

It was almost unnerving. _Almost_, just for the fact that I didn't entirely believe him. Or it just felt that way. "Hnn," I turned away and stared at the door, and the boy thankfully took that as a sign to be quiet.

And he _was_ quiet, for a little while, until, for whatever reason, he wasn't. Maybe it was just me, but the shouting coming from down the hall didn't seem to help matters much. That and the sound of footsteps, along with the door banging open—and _almost_ hitting me right in the face—would probably make anyone startled.

But I somehow managed to keep a straight face, even if the one who had just barged in literally _reeked _in annoyance. It was a woman, with annoyingly red hair, the kind you wished was an accident when she went to get her hair dyed at the salon, and playfully innocent blue eyes.

"Kefen?" The woman questioned, and immediately I knew she had to be Rebecca's mother, "Kefen sweetie! Are you okay?" she cooed, walking forward in an eerily slow fashion, as if she was afraid of startling a wild animal she just wanted to pet.

And honestly, the boy could probably be described as one—or at least the kind of wild animal that ran away at the slightly sound. His eyes had gotten big—in that child-like way that usually brought on the 'I'm so sorry' rant, or the 'Pl_eaaaase_ forgive me!' speech. Maybe even the 'I'm not guilty even though I really am and you probably know it but please forgive me anyway!' tirade.

"I'm fine." His voice didn't show any hints of starting any of those, though. Instead he sounded, for a lack of a better word, _emotionless_, "Did you see Rebecca?"

"Oh yes," the woman's tone turned flippant and uncaring, "I can't believe she got you into this whole messy-mess! I'm _soooo_ sorry!"

I felt my eye twitch at the overly sappiness of her voice, and I was sure I was frowning now, but thankfully the woman wasn't looking my way. In fact she didn't even seem to realize I was here.

"I-It's fine." Kefen murmured, standing up from the chair he had been sitting on, but he made no move to come towards the woman, "But Rebecca—what about her?"

The _woman_ rolled her eyes in the same way those girls in all those LiveTime movies do when they see something that they think won't work—

It felt like her presence just got bigger. My eyes widened slightly when the boy actually _did_ walk right up to her, "S-So you're _saying_ that she's going to get whatever they give her?" he questioned, his voice soft, "She's your daughter i-isn't she?"

"Well there's no one here to prove that she's _innocent_." The woman laughed in that high pitched laugh—or cackle would be more suited to it—that reminded me of the Goblin-thing--Smeagle, or whatever his name was--in Lord of the Rings.

'_Remind me to ask Lavi _not_ to go to see any Lord of the Rings movies…' _Not that there were out, since as far as I knew there were only 3 movies, 'But_ he's probably going to make me watch a rented DVD if we stay here any longer.'_

Though I could probably convince him out of it.

The woman finally stopped laughing—cackling—whatever the hell you called it—long enough for me to unfortunately hear the door open. This time it _did_ hit me in the face.

'_Ouch' _

I slowly stepped away from the door, expecting to see a Policeman, who had most likely chased after this round the bend and faaaar downstream woman, but the first thing I heard was the sound of _very_ loud, _very _scratching yelling, like someone was yelling through a walkie-talking or a phone.

"Yuu! Make him stop! Make him stop!" That was Lavi, "Make the Old Panda stop _yellin'_ at me!" he was holding up his cellphone in the air, and I could easily see the little 'panda' icon that he had placed by the number.

"They really made you call your Grandfather?" I asked in disbelief, moving slightly while trying hard not fumble when the room began to spin.

Lavi nodded his head in reply, "An' they wanted ta talk to him so I put it on speaker phone—an' now he won't shut up!"

Muffled words that sounded like "I heard that" could be heard through the thick static that Lavi's phone seemed to be spewing.

"And he's not happy with you," I deduced easily, taking another slight step forward. My head still stung though from such a rapid impact the door made, "and you think he'll listen to me?"

"You're the smart one! I'm not supposed to get in trouble when I'm with you _anyway_!" He almost, _almost_ pouted, "so I'm sure he'll listen to reason if it comes from Yuu!"

"And I'd appreciate the stopping with the play-on-words." I mumbled out before taking the phone and turning off the speaker phone so I could just talk to him one on one, "P—Bookman?" I questioned, getting a static-y 'yes' in response, "It's me, Kanda."

"Ah! Kanda, good, Lavi found you. Is it true you're in the Police station? Don't tell me he dragged you there to come pick him up!"

I shook my head even though the old man couldn't see it, "No, no. It's not like that. We're _both_ here."

"Why?"

I let out a sigh, "We were caught in a traffic accident—or not-so-accident—so they brought us here to the station."

"Is your car okay?"

"Just a little dented in the back," I quickly began before leaving that off and continuing on another thread, "but that's beside the point. I'm sure you heard from the Police men what happened."

For a moment there was a long pause, but then, slowly, he spoke again, "Y…_Yes_. It's a bit far-fetched even by _my_ standards. How many people are accused? You, Lavi, and how many others?"

For a second I thought it over, "Ah, I think three other people, but one of them's just a kid, and he got let off the hook, as did I, so now it's just Lavi, a girl named Rebecca, and a woman."

The pause this time was even longer, I was almost worried that the phone had been disconnected somehow, "So you want me to bail you—_Lavi_—out? It might be a good learning experience for him to be in jail for a few days." Something in his voice told me he was kidding though, "Haha, joking," I was right, "Yes I'll give you your account number, take the amount needed—if they ask for money, if not then just let me speak with one of them."

I couldn't help the small relieved sigh that found its way out of my throat, "Thank you, Bookman."

"Don't mention it Kanda. But may I ask—from what I understood earlier, from what little the policeman told me, you've—well, Lavi, Rebecca, and that other woman—been convicted of Murder, yes? Have they stated exactly _how_ they knew this?"

"I think you're better off asking Lavi that and not me," I said with a shrug of my shoulders, "They made Kefen—the boy—and I leave."

"Well then where are you now?" He questioned, sounding slightly surprised.

"In another one of the 'waiting' rooms, apparently." I took a quick glance around the room, more than aware that the woman now finally noticed me, and Kefen seemed almost relieved by that fact, he was actually inching closer to Lavi for some unknown reason.

"I see…I'd say I'd be there in a minute, but I don't believe that's entirely accurate," He laughed out, "China isn't exactly _close_ to where you two are now. Were you two on the way to school when the accident happened?"

"Ah, yes, we were also finishing up an assignment, so we decided to take the long way." I quickly lied, "Apparently that wasn't the best idea."

"That would seem to be the case now wouldn't it?" The old man laughed out, "Now then, let me speak to Lavi for a moment, I _do_ need to apologize—it is rather…_late_ here for you two to be calling about news like this."

I nodded my head and passed the phone off to Lavi, who eagerly grabbed it, "Hey old man—you done raising your blood-pressure now?" there was a short silence and Lavi laughed, "I knew Yuu'd do that! Great! I'll just find the guy that talked to ya earlier. No more Speaker Phone for me."

Again there was a pause, this time longer, before Lavi spoke up again, "I_ know_ that, he's definitely innocent." There was a split second pause before Lavi raised his voice, most likely cutting him off, "And I _know_ that too, old man. I'll…_yeah_," he let out an uneasy laugh before brightening up again, "make sure of it. Too bad I didn't keep my promise of not doing anything stupid, right? But anyway," the younger of the two policemen that had been at the accident—Officer Cooley, or however he'd been addressed—appeared in the doorway, "Here's one of the guy's that was with us. Here, it's my Gramps. Sorry 'bout earlier." The Policeman raised his eyebrow before swiftly taking the cell-phone away, raising it to his ear and beginning to talk in a hushed, but loud enough to hear, tone.

"I think after 'e's done talkin' with 'im we can leave." Lavi stated, somehow appearing _right_ next to me and slinging his uninjured arm around my shoulder.

"And _then_ what will we do?" I asked sarcastically, only causing him to tighten his grip on me.

"What I said we'd do earlier! Finish up your project, hang out a bit, maybe catch a movie—not a long one—and then hightail it back to class."

"You do remember my car's probably being towed at the moment to a nearby car-shop." I reminded him, "We probably won't be able to even _go_ today. What if they call you back here again?"

Again he let out an uneasy laugh, "Ahah, you just aren't lettin' me go, are ya? We could always take the bus an' then _walk _to school, but if you're all for skippin' I think we have a legit excuse."

I shook my head before moving away from his friendly hold, "That's not what I meant."

"Aww c'mon Yuu-chan!"

My fist clenched, "_Don't_ call me that…_please_." I grated out before continuing on the subject, "What about your project? Don't you at least want to turn it in?"

"I can do it _later_. I don't mind, really." He gave me his trademark sloppy smile that always hung a little crooked on his lips, "After all _yours_ isn't even _done_ yet, neh?"

I didn't miss the teasing—and almost blackmailing—tone of his voice, and I _knew_ without a doubt that I should be worried. But only mildly. Not enough to even let it show, "I can take a photo on the way. That's _why_ we went out in the _first place_, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," he laughed, moving towards me again, "I was just teasin' ya! So we'll just turn ours in together. We're roomies after all, it's only natural, right?"

"But she doesn't know," I said with a shake of my head before clarifying, "that we're roommates—I mean."

"So?" He tilted his head slightly to the side, causing his bangs to fall over his eye-patch, "She'll figure it out soon enough. No big deal."

"Depends on how _soon_ it is," I walked quickly out of the room, leaning on the wall right outside the door. I didn't really know _why_, but it was unnerving having that lady—and that boy—staring at us as much as they had been. Or at least that was the case with the woman—I didn't think_ anyone_ would want to be anywhere with her for any length of time. When Lavi finally got the notion to follow me out of the room and stand next to me I continued, "do you really want them to be like how Lenalee and Allen were at the restaurant?"

Lavi grimaced, but the pained look disappeared almost instantly, "W_eeeelll_," he hummed, tapping his finger on his chin, "I don't really care. It's not like they _know_ us, at least not that well."

"But what if one of them _does_ get to know us well?" I questioned, "Like if this takes practically a year to figure out?"

"I…don't think it will. I mean, sooner or later they'll notice," he still seemed to be thinking on it though, "I mean—we don't_ have_ to act like we totally hate each other."

My eyes narrowed at that, "You're right. We _don't_ have to. It's _natural_—as Lenalee put it once. You don't realize it do you?"

"Realize what?" the look on his face honestly surprised me, "I mean, _yeah_ we fight sometimes—but doesn't everyone fight with their best friend once in a while?"

I opened my mouth, fully intent on saying that:_ no,_ it wasn't normal, and that we fought more than them anyway—that friends didn't even _fight_, they just had arguments. But for some reason I just didn't have the will to let those words fall from my lips. Instead I looked away, muttering, "You'll figure it out."

"Figure _what_ out?" Lavi placed a hand firmly on my shoulder, making me both shrug it off and turn to him at the same time. His one good eye, deep emerald green and seemingly all-seeing, bore into my own and I had the oddest feeling of being stripped completely naked. Being _exposed_ in one of the worst ways possible, and not having the ability—much less the _will_—to fight back. It was unnerving.

When I was finally able to look away I quickly shut my eyes, "Don't _do_ that." I hissed out, forcing myself to unclench my hand. I could tell he was about to speak, but I quickly cut him off, "And if you _say_ you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about: don't. Just don't, because you _do_, and I hate hearing you blatantly _lie, _especially to my face."

And for a while neither of us spoke, but over the course of that time my eyes slowly started to open again, but instead of turning back to look at him—which oddly enough I had to _force_ myself not to do—I studied the patterns that the random dots on the floor-tiles made, along with the eerie designs in the popcorn ceiling overhead. After finding three shapes, all of which, much to my chagrin, having something to do with _Lavi, _his cough broke the silence. I resisted the urge to look at him again, but this didn't seem to deter him from speaking "…Okay then, so I _do_ know what I'm doing." He started, his voice thick with an odd sort of vacancy I wasn't used to, "But if I knew one hundred percent what I was doing then don't you think I'd know by now what you were trying to say before?"

"Who's to say you _don't_ know?" I questioned back, my voice more than bitter. It was getting harder and harder to stop looking at him.

"True," he surprised my slightly by actually _agreeing_ with me, "but if I _did_ know, like you believe I do, then who's to say that I don't think I'm _wrong_? You _know_ I think about stuff too much."

"Or don't think about it enough." I added, but he just ignored me, instead opting to step _right_ in my line of vision, forcing me to look at him whether I wanted to or not.

"That too." He agreed again, another sloppy, but this time oddly _serious_, smile on his lips, "The stuff I don't think about all the way—most of it seems to be important, right? Like," he cut himself off with a shake of his head, before diverting his gaze to the Policeman coming towards us, "I wonder if 'e's done yet." The policeman still had Lavi's phone up to his ear, avidly talking about _something_, to the Bookman.

Then he noticed us staring quickly said a few words before walking up to as and handing the cellphone back to Lavi. To my surprise—and I _really_ hated being surprised so many times in one day—the man smiled, "I do hope you had nothing to do with that accident—Bookman Junior." Lavi stiffened at the formal title, "I'm surprised your _grandfather_ is who he is, but then again I really shouldn't have a say with who I meet. I shouldn't judge." He nodded his head slightly to me before saying, "But you two can leave. For now. I suggest you don't go anywhere that disallows cellphone use for longer than two hours, though. We may need to call you back once we have more evidence."

Lavi avidly nodded his head, "Of course! Wouldn't dream of it! But that means we'll have to, ah, skip school."

The man nodded his head in agreement, "I'm not one for it, but if you do get in trouble for it…then it will work out. Somehow. If they don't believe you they can personally contact me, or Officer Landon. Now then," he walked past us and stepped into the doorway of the room I had just come out of, "Mrs. Ananas…"

Before he could get any farther, though, Lavi practically dragged me down the hall and away from the room, "We should leave like 'e said!" He insisted in his overly-enthusiastic, and overly _forced_, way, "Who knows when he'll call me back? C'mon! C'mon!"

And for once I didn't say a word. Didn't remind him that _yes_ I had legs of my own and could very well walk without his help, and that _yes_ I too had heard him, I wasn't as selective in hearing as he seemed to be. But I didn't. I let the words die silently before they even reached my tongue, before even the residue could stain it's way onto any other words I would speak after this.

And he dragged me out into the lobby, through the double glass doors and out into the asphalt parking lot with the smell of rubber and gasoline, and smoke from the various cars passing on the street in front of the station. I looked up just in time to see a cloud—soft and white and not all that harmless—turn into a massive black storage case for a potential downpour.

Then the first heavy raindrops fell, hitting the sunbathed concrete before rising up in a quick steam as Lavi dragged me faster along the cracked walkway, farther and farther away.

But we didn't go to the movie theatre—the closest building to the policestation that we had planned on stopping at. We just continued on, before abruptly turning…

Into an alleyway.

--

**A/N: -dramatic music- Okay…that didn't end where I planned for it to. But hey, this chapter got to the page number I wanted it to be at XD (well, I wanted it to be at 50, and it's a little over, but that's not a bad thing is it? this is one of my longer chapters, after all). Well anyway, it's getting close to midnight so, yeah. R&R as always, and lucky for you the next chapter is already mostly typed up! -just has a few more pages to go- So leave the reviewies and you'll get the next chapter much, much sooner! Which of course means Questions, CC, and all that stuff is welcomed! So...**

**Until the Next Chapter**

**-Harmony283 **


	6. One Question Answered?

**A/N: And here's the next chapter! Wrote the first 7 pages on vacation and the last couple of pages a couple of minutes ago XD But anyway, this chapter sort of jumps ahead a little bit to the effects of what happened at the end of the last chapter. Also will Kanda ever get around to taking a few photo's for his class? And who is it that Lavi's been 'dating'? Read an' find out! **

**Note: And because I love to do this, I put in some things that I read/watched recently. Basically, if you haven't seen Get Smart (the Movie) then there's spoilers for that, and if you've read As I Lay Dying (or haven't?) then that's mentioned as well. **

**Reviews: (since I got some anon. ones for the last chapter) **

**anonymous: **Glad you think so and thanks so much for the review!

**arara: **I'm glad you think so! And here's the (slightly late .) update! Enjoy! And of course, thanks very much for the review!

**Tokitoh: **XD And it was an uninteded cliffhanger too. I'm glad you think everyone's IC (since I'm usually never sure of that when I actually write it) And thanks for the boxes of cookies XD They might help if I ever get writers block on this fanfic (which I haven't yet -hopes it stays that way). Aand the plot should be thickening a bit in this chapter, and in the upcoming chapters so I hope you keep reading! And thanks so much for the review!

**--**

"Lavi…? _Lavi_! You're going to have to come out _eventually_." I watched mutely from the chair I was sitting in, rubbing the bruise I knew had to be forming on my neck, as Rebecca tried to unlock the Dancing Pineapple's Men's Room. But Lavi made no move to even let us know he was _in _there. He was completely still, his shoes didn't even squeak against the floor. He was trying vainly to hide, though. Rebecca had _just_ come in from the Police station—after apparently having to stop her mom from ranting on and on about how disappointed she was when she could really care less—and had seen him make a be-line for the bathroom.

Then she had seen me, stumbling in after him, and now here we were, trying to inconspicuously get Lavi out of the bathroom, while telling everyone else the Men's bathroom had a pipe problem. Thankfully this place didn't have open this early in the day, the only people here were the actual empolyees.

"_Laaavi_! Urgh!" Rebecca banged on the door one more time before turning to face me, "Why the hell aren't you _helping_ me?!"

"I'd love to," my voice sounded extremely scratchy, "But I don't think…it would do him any good." I looked away before she could lock eyes with me, instead I chose to study the pictures hanging up on the walls.

"Sooo, you two had a lovers spat or something?" The question threw me off guard, immediately making me turn my attention back to her. She had this strangely understanding look on her face, "I'm right aren't I? I saw him here yesterday—I won't lie about that—but I remember him referring to someone named 'Yuu'."

"And exactly _how_ would you know something like that? From what he said at the station he just _saw _you."

"I was his server. Or at least, I gave him his _meal_." She tried to smile but it didn't turn out quite right, "You aren't denying anything though," she suddenly pointed out, "so does that mean he went and got drunk because you two had a fight last night?"

"_No._" My answer was probably a little on the forceful side, but she _was_ wrong, "It's—we're roommates. Not to mention he isn't the kind of person that's likely to do anything _smart_ if you leave him alone for too long."

"Really?" She seemed amused by this.

I looked off to the side, up at a huge painting of some actor from the 1970's, "Yes. I'm sure you noticed the bandages on his arm? That was because he was being an idiot."

"What did he do?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "That's just it. I don't _know_. He's being stupid enough not to tell me." Even though I knew saying that was a bit of a lie in its own right, "He…does things like that all the time, though."

"So then you know how he hurt his eye?"

I stiffened at the overly curious note in her voice, "_Yes_, I do. But that's no business of yours." I turned back to face her only to have her turn away and check the lock on the door again.

"Dammit, I think he _jammed_ it." She hissed out, "We might have to get my boss to come and fix it. But," for a moment she looked worried, but it quickly faded, "No…he wouldn't get mad at me. Maybe Lavi, yeah, but…" suddenly she went quiet and pressed her ear to the door, "I think he's on his cell phone."

"And?"

"Shh! Shh!" she listened harder, "Sounds like he's talkin' to someone he's familiar with."

"How does _that_ help?" I asked back, keeping my voice low, "It could be anyone."

"Y'mean you don't know who he talks to?" She asked, looking at me like I had severely misplaced something that was too important to live without.

"Should I?" I said with another shrug of my shoulders, "He talks to who he talks to. It's not my fault if he ends up doing something stupid because of it."

"Something 'stupid'? What? Did you promise someone you'd make him _stop_ being stupid?" she leaned towards me with a curious look on her face, immediately making me take a step back.

"Tch, it's got nothing to do with you," I turned my face away as well, "So don't_ ask_."

"Oh so you wanna test your luck on getting mister Baka-Usagi-chan out of the freakin' bathroom _without_ my help?" She snapped, straightening up before knocking on the door again—all before I could even ask her _how_ she knew of the nickname I had just come up with, "Oi Lavi I'm _leaving_, since you wanna playing the ignoring game—Kanda's gonna try instead! And who knows! He _might_ just knock the door down!" she paused for a moment, and I could've sworn I heard the sound of a stall door slamming, before continuing in a much lower tone, "Okay yeah, don't destroy the damn door, it'll get taken off my paycheck if ya do. So just…unlock the door."

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that if I don't have a key?" I snapped, "And even _if_ I had a stupid key what the hell am I supposed to do to get him to talk to me? He didn't want to earlier—he fucking ran_ away _from me!"

"You mean you've _never_ seen a 'Spy' movie before?" I shook my head, "Like Get Smart?" again I shook my head, " I mean c'_mon_! Unlocking a door is one of the oldest tricks in the _book_!" She practically _whined_ at me, sighing loudly to heighten the affect. "I mean, you could be like Number 23—and Lavi could be like Number 89! Though I guess in this case your roles would be reversed!" I stared at her blankly and she let out a laugh, "I mean—they're both guys and they _kiss_ in the movie! For a distraction! Number 23 _so_ fell for it!"

I felt my face heat up even as I willed the blush to fade, "Wh-What? There's no way in _hell_ I'd kiss him!"

"I know," she nodded her head in agreement, "Which is why I said your roles would kinda be reversed—since Number 89 does the kissing—and I'm sure Lavi would more likely kiss you than you him, but as things stand he's acting more like Number 23, who's the _bad_ _guy_. You might have to, y'know, _kiss him_, just to prove as a _distraction_ before you can even talk with him!"

I almost rolled my eyes at that as I tried to force another blush from inflaming my cheeks, "I'm sure he can hear every word you're saying."

"So?"

"The plan won't _work_ if he _knows about it_." I pointed out blandly, "Or did you pay more attention to the kiss than the actual plot line?"

"Oh, the kiss happens near the end! Right before Number 23 gets hit by a train and bursts into flames—which is _so_ awesome if you ask me, considering it looked _so_ stunt-ified! But at the same time it almost made me cry!—but there are some other _themes_ that are just…!" She didn't even attempt to hold in her squeal, which sounded insanely fangirlish and downright _creepy_.

"I don't think I needed to know that much." I managed to squeeze in once she finally took a breath, "But will you…_not_…do _that_ again?"

"I will if you _try it_!" She hummed out, though she sounded dead serious.

"Then I guess I'll have to buy earplugs."

"_What_?" She seemed surprised that I didn't just go along with her, "You just expect him to hibernate in there all winter?!"

"It's not even fall yet."

"—whatever! I can't _believe_ you! Some sucky roommate _you_ are! He'll die if he stays in there too long! How will he eat! And water—well, I guess he can drink water from the sink but _still_! Ewww!—How could you even—"

"—Shut _up. _You don't even know why he's in there in the first place, do you?" I questioned, and almost immediately her mouth snapped shut.

Only to open a few seconds later with a tentative guess, "It…has something to do with what happened—why he was here—last night, right?"

"No." I shook my head, "Or…not that I'm _aware_ of."

"Then it has to do with something in the Police Station?" she guessed again, "He seemed really tense after you left…did you two fight in the car?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "You don't need to know. We _might have_—but no, it don't think that's it."

"Then what? Something that happened when you _left_ the Police Station?" Whether she was deliberately leaving that question for last, or whether it was just because she was running out of questions to inquire about, I didn't want to know. But she knew, and I knew that she knew, that she figuratively hit the nail on the head.

…And drove it about three extra inches into the wood.

All I could say to that, the only word I could actually _form_ was a small and rather weak, "Maybe."

"An' judging from your reaction that's a solid yes." She clarified, "And you don't want to talk about it. Even though you brought it up in the first place."

"Tch. It really isn't any of your business, but that door _will_ be coming out of your paycheck—if I really do go through with breaking it down—so I don't see…why _not_. I don't personally care if you know, but _he_ might," I stared at the door and she knew I was talking about Lavi.

"Okay then—spill. We don't open for another two or three hours, so if it takes a while then we've got the time." She crossed her arms and leaned against the Men's bathroom door, accidentally hitting her head rather hard against it—wincing, but otherwise making no move to sooth the obvious ache—before turning her complete attention to me.

"Fine. But it's not very long." I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall as well, "It started to rain. We were _probably_ going to go to the movie theatre—or at least I _thought_ we were—but instead we wound up in an alleyway. I don't know why but he freaked a few minutes later, and begged me to hide somewhere. I didn't listen and he got angry. Shoved me against the wall and asked me why the hell _not_. Then he realized he was choking me and ran off. End of story."

She stayed silent for a moment before saying rather bluntly, "_Yeaaah_, that's the abridged version. More dialog please."

"You don't need to know it."

"Then I don't see why you can't talk to him."

I flinched and shook my head, "What more do you want? He only said a few words anyway."

"A few words can make all the difference," she seemed to sound like she was reminding me of something, but it wasn't something I could ever really remember being told in the first place.

I found myself complying anyway, though, my mouth opening and speaking of it's own accord, "This won't be accurate but basically I asked him why the hell we were in the alleyway, he said he wanted to talk. Then his cellphone started ringing, but he didn't pick up—a similar thing happened this morning too—he tried to convince me that it was nothing, but I brought up the earlier incident and he got upset. He said it had nothing to do with me, or at least he made it _sound_ that way. I think it did. But that's probably just me." I let out a sigh that sounded too tired for it's own good, "Then we heard people running past, probably to get out of the rain, but it made him even more nervous, like he was planning on seeing someone there. That's when he asked me to hide and I said no. He tried to push me behind a damn _dumpster_ and I guess I fought back a little too hard because he got angry and pinned me to the wall by my throat," I raised one hand and touched the base of my neck, rubbing it slightly, "I asked him what the hell he was doing, and then he let go and ran. But again, none of that's your business so I don't see why you care so much." I turned my head slightly so I could look her directly in the eyes, "But _that's_ why I don't think he'll want to talk with me."

Her eyes narrowed for a moment as she stared down at her feet. She spent a few minutes thinking before saying in a thoughtful tone, "Maybe you don't realize it yet but that's—" she cut herself off with the shake of her head, "—make up. Ask him _why_. And if he doesn't answer right away make him _promise _he'll tell you." I wanted to say I had already tried that method, but something told me I shouldn't so I just stayed quiet and half-listened. She turned around fully to face me before continuing, "He just really needs to know that you aren't angry with him."

"I'd probably hit him if he came out right now." She flinched at the dullness in my voice.

"Well…_don't_! I don't get how guys can make up by _fighting_! It's too bloody and messy!"

"I won't make him bleed." I assured her, even though I knew it wasn't set on firm ground, "But it's the same with us. I don't understand how talking with a girl you're currently having a… 'cat-fight' with helps. It usually makes the situation worse unless it's been going on for two or three years."

She flinched again, "That's not—because our ways of _thinking_ are different! Now go in there and _talk_ to Lavi!" She stepped away from the door, but before I could move, and before she could move enough, we both heard a sound we hadn't been expecting to hear.

The door unlocking, and, a few seconds later, swinging open, revealing a very tired, stressed, and—and _pained_ Lavi. "He doesn't have to break down the damn door. I heard everything you just said. And," he looked at me and _tried_ to smile, "Y'can hit the livin' daylight's outta me if ya want. But I'd prefer talkin'."

I felt my hand clench into a tight fist but I made no move to raise it, "Right now _yes_ I would just _love_ to make feel pain, make you bleed, and color you with bruises but," I ignored the horrified and amused—in Rebecca's case—faces and continued on, my voice turning serious, "I _won't_. Not when you're hurt. And not with _that_ smile on your face."

He immediately tried to wipe said smile off his face but he didn't seem to get it completely off, leaving a slight quirk in his lips as he took another step out of the bathroom, "If ya don't mind me sayin…yeah I'm in pain right now. Do y'have any of that pain medicine? I think I forgot to take it this morning."

I didn't bother to say no, he most likely already knew that that would be my answer, instead I stepped away from the wall and eyed him fully for the first time, "You need more than just pain medicine." It was probably a very unlike-me thing to say, since, in a nutshell, I preferred to _just not be_ that observant about human emotions in general, but it felt like the evaluation was needed, "But we'll have to take the bus home. Thankfully for you it stops right in front of our apartment complex."

Another sort of smile threatened to make its way back on his lips, but this one was more…preferred. Goofy, and slightly off balance as his smiles usually were, but all the same more real, "Yeah, lucky us! But we should 'fore it starts to downpour again." He took another step out of the bathroom, but quickly turned his head to Rebecca, "Thanks Becca," he said with an oddly charming twist to his smile.

The nickname seemed to irk her though, but all the same the sentiment was returned, "Any time Baka-Usagi-kun. Now you two, shoo-shoo! I ish very lucky to get a very nice man as a partner today. And he ish probably very, _veeeery _angry that he's doin' inventory all by his lonesome!"

That was our official 'You must leave now or else', and I rather willingly took it, turning away immediately and heading towards the exit with Lavi more or less following right behind me.

"So you really aren't mad at me?" He asked once the door to the store closed behind us, "That's kinda hard to believe!"

"I'd prefer _not_ to be angry with someone for reacting the way you did when I had no idea what was going on in the first place," I casually stated, "Though I _will_ say, no I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to hit you. But that's because of the fact I don't know what's going on. Not you attempting to choke me."

"I know you aren't angry but I feel like apologizing anyway." He laughed out, though the laugh seemed slightly hollow, not as full as it usually was. But with all things considering, I couldn't see _how_ that_ wasn't_ possible. "Um, but y'know," he dropped the laughter and continued on with the talking, "those police guys were actually really nice…after they got used to you bein' there, which didn't take very long."

"Mm." I quickened my pace when I saw the bus rounding the corner towards the bus stop a few feet away. I searched around quickly for my wallet, searching for the seven dollars I knew would cover both our fairs.

"Though the kid that came in after you two left, he was kinda creepy. Don't know how old he is, but he kind reminds me of that Kefen kid." The bus pulled up to the stop and I quickly stepped up on the stairs leading to the small walkway between the seats, choosing the only vacant one available, scooting over so that Lavi could sit next to me.

Once we were seated I fully took in exactly what he just said, "Reminded you of that boy? Why? They look completely different."

"Nah, not _that_. Even with one eye I know they're different." He shifted a bit in the seat, staring intently at the back of the couch before saying, "I meant more of, I dunno, the way they _act_ is similar. They also had the same kinda _look_ in their eyes. Like they were seein' beyond just _you_, y'know, like," he thought for a moment, "Y'know the guy in that book that we had to read for AP English in Eleventh Grade?"

"Which one? We read at least five, all of which read the _night_ before we had a huge unit test on them." I reminded him.

He flinched but didn't try to deny the accusation, "Uh…I think we read it at the end of the year. Which did we read again?"

I thought a moment before answering, "I think…As I Lay Dying."

"Yeah! Yeah!" He nodded his head enthusiastically, "The one with the lady dying…being dead…the whole time," his enthusiasm quickly drained away as he spoke, "But yeah, one of the guys, the first ya meet…Darl, or whoever. The one that was labeled 'insane'."

"So you think they're both crazy?"

"Nonono!" He quickly objected, "I meant just, y'know how the sister described him? As seeing more than just right's in front of him?"

"Being perceptive?" I turned a little more towards him, "What about it?"

"Well they're like that. Those two kids are. Crazy for their age, neither of 'em can be over fourteen." He shook his head in mild disbelief, "It's just kinda nerve-wracking when they stare at you. Like they know what you're thinking, or what you did last night." He let out an uneasy blush and laughed, "I sure hope they don't though."

"In your case maybe," I turned around to look out the window, we were nearing our stop, "but for me they'd just know that…" suddenly I couldn't finish the sentence anymore. I tried to, it really didn't matter if they found out or not but, still, I couldn't form the words.

Lavi, being Lavi, picked up on it in an instant, "know that what?" He questioned, lowering his voice a bit as people walked past us to get off.

"Know that I was just sitting at home waiting around." I finally managed out, "Waiting around for _you_ to come home."

"Aww! So you _were_ worried about me!" He gushed with a huge, albeit a little _exaggerated_, smile.

"Of course I was." I quickly responded, keeping my gaze firmly on the window, "Is it so wrong for me to worry about—" again the words rapidly died on my lips.

"Worry about…?" Lavi prodded before letting out a sigh, "You _reaaaally_ gotta learn to finish off your sentence Kan-da! It's a bad habit."

"And _you_ need to learn to not go off and do stupid things and pretend that I'll just turn a blind eye to them." I snapped back, my voice sounding more irritated than I had intended for it to.

Lavi flinched in response and immediately looked down at the dried gum and dirt littered floor, "That's…" he tried, "That's…_not_…"

The bus lurched forward again, cutting him off as it practically _slammed_ us into the back of the seat in front of us, which thankfully had no one in it anymore. Though for me, I at least semi-braced myself for it, while Lavi, on the other hand, didn't, and rammed face first into it, crying out in muffled pain before sitting back and rubbing his nose, "What the hell?"

"Sorry 'bout that folks," the Bus Driver said with a slight wave of his hand through the rearview mirror, "A bit of a break catch but tha's 'bout it." His accent was thick and almost felt like I had heard it before, even though I hardly ever rode the bus since I had my own car. I pushed that thought into the back of my mind as we rounded the next corner, past the park Lavi had taken some of his photos at, then around the next corner, and soon our apartment complex came into view. The bus driver pulled practically all the way to the entrance before stopping.

Immediately Lavi stood up and, still holding his nose, squeezed into the small aisle and made his way a little too quickly off the bus. We were the only two getting off at this stop so it wasn't like it was going to be crowded, _'Maybe he just doesn't like the bus.' _My eyes caught sight of some strange looking gooey substance wedged between the front seat and the seat we had been sitting in, _'I don't blame him.' _

But if only I believed that, _'He still has a lot to answer for.' _

How I would bring it up, though, I wasn't sure. I already _said_ I wasn't mad at him, so if I got mad at him he'd just call me a hypocrite. If I hit him like I said I would then—

"C'mon Yuu! You're the one with the house key remember?!" Suddenly Lavi was right next to me, grinning goofly as if he had no care in the world—even though I _knew_ he did, it was too obvious—to _big_—to just…

Just _what_? Laugh off like that? But he wasn't laughing—_'It's the same thing' _my voice interjected. I had every right to agree with it. But I complied easily enough; letting Lavi half tug me through the parking lot, into the lobby, and up the elevator. We reached our flat in a matter of minutes and soon we were walking in.

"Did ya take your picture yet?" Lavi asked nonchalantly, taking his camera—which I still had—and setting it down on one of the stools before turning to look back at me.

"How was I able to?" I replied, not really trying to hide the sudden bitterness there, "First we get in a traffic accident, then we get 'arrested'—or _you_ do at least—then when we finally leave you start panicking. I don't see _how_ I could've taken one."

Lavi was nervous again, his eyes traveling to the phone for a moment before looking back at me, "I-I meant, do y'wanna go out a little later? Well, it's already late _now_ but—" he let out a strangled laugh before making his way to the phone.

That's when I noticed it. The light beside the 'message replay button' was lit up. We had a message.

"Well?" I asked, moving towards him, "are you going to listen to it or not?" He hesitated, moving his injured arm slightly before dropping it back to his side.

"I-It's probably nobody important." He replied, and I could tell he was nervous despite his best attempts at hiding it, "We can probably just delete it. They'll call again if it's really important."

"But what if it's the Bean Sprout? Or Lenalee? The accident _did_ happen practically right in front of their store, didn't it?"

"No it didn't." Lavi quickly denied, "They wouldn't've seen it unless they were outside for whatever the hell reason—an' besides, isn't today a school day?"

"True," I agreed, "But they usually have a Monday off this month—don't they?" I couldn't remember if that was true or not—I never paid much attention to what days we had off, I just appreciated them when they came—but Lavi seemed to believe it enough.

"An' your point is." He raised his hand again, "What if it's just some stupid survey?"

"We're on the 'Do-not-call' list."

He flinched, "Why the hell do you care so much?"

"Why the hell don't _you_ care?" I crossed the short space between me and the phone, obviously startling him even more, before pushing his hand to the side, "Let's listen. It isn't like it's your boyfriend-you've-been-dating-for-a-day anyway."

"But what if it _is_?" He choked out, dropping his hand once more to his side.

I gave him a 'so what'—or at least I hoped that's the message I got across—look and pressed the button.

For a few seconds there was just static—which was probably someone breathing through the phone—then a man's voice came clearly over the phone, "Lavi? My I don't know why you wouldn't pick up but I suppose you _must_ be busy? No matter, I suppose I'll just call you again when you get back—oh but you'll be gone for a while won't you?" the man on the other end laughed for a moment before quickly adding on, "I'd like to meet you again at the same place, and I would like to bring Kanda along with you. And _please_ don't be late this time, you know—" there was a loud beep and the message immediately stopped.

I couldn't help but wonder, though, the voice sounded slightly familiar, "So it _was_ your boyfriend?" I said more to myself than to Lavi.

But he answered anyway, "I wouldn't call 'im my 'boyfriend'. I…he doesn't like that term."

"So he's at least bisexual?"

It was almost amusing to see the embarrassed blush cross his face, "Wha…? Why do you care?"

"I don't." I pushed the 'delete' button, "But if he doesn't want to be considered your boyfriend then that must mean he gives off the aura of being _straight_—at least a little, right?"

Lavi muttered something under his breath before saying, "Yeah well a lot of gay guys do it too, y'know. It's real hard to tell."

"Not always." I replied back, "But anyway, he said he wanted to meet me—"

"An' I say he doesn't have to. I don't want 'im to get the wrong idea?" He mumbled hastily, staring down at his feet in a strange sort of self-conscious way that I never thought could go along with the flamboyant red-head.

I didn't have to ask what he meant about 'wrong idea' so instead I asked, or more like stated, "So you don't want me to meet him?" He nodded his head, "Any other reason besides…?"

"Just cuz," he tried to meet my gaze and succeeded, "It's _you_—Yuu! I don't think he should meet you yet."

"And again, _why_?" I heard the irritated twinge in my voice even though I wasn't really irritated to begin with, "he isn't some mafia leader that just _acts_ nice now is he?"

"Nah, he's not—I think." He hesitantly laughed, "But 'e…I just don't think you'd like him."

My eyes narrowed, "And _why_ wouldn't I like him?"

Lavi let out an exasperated sigh, "Because! I think ya'd know already but he's just—_him_—he's really hard ta get along with. An' he likes ordering people around."

"Then why are you dating him?"

"I'm—don't _call it that_." Now he was getting even more irritated than _I_ was.

"Then what _should_ I call it? A fling? Friends with Benefits? Didn't you say before that you wouldn't get involved with one of those again?" I felt like I was scolding my own kid. That since a chill right down my spine—I _hated_ kids. It was even worse thinking of having my _own_ kids.

"It's not _any_ of those things!" His voice was rising, and his hands were clenching into tight fists, which I _knew_ had to hurt his bad arm.

"How many times am I going to have to ask you what it is until you answer?" Just as his voice rose mine seemed to drop, "Or do I have to keep guessing? You know I hate guessing."

"Yeah but guessin's probably better than what it actually _is_."

"Which _is_?" I prodded. The thing about Lavi—that I learned early on—was get him angry and he says things he normally wouldn't.

"Goddammit—he's _Tyki_, you're in more than one class with 'im! You should be able to figure it out!"

My eyes widened at that, and his did a few seconds later when he actually realized what he had said.

"You…you're going out with _Tyki_?"

--

**And that's the end of this chapter. As I said, I had about 7 pages typed up when I uploaded the last chapter buuuut stuff happened, and I didn't get around to writing until **_**now**_**. But yeah, now the plot should really speed up a bit (which means, if you need to re-read some stuff then go right ahead, you might need to, I don't know yet) so of course any Questions, Comments, Loved it? Have CC? Send it in a review! **

**-Harmony283**


	7. The Dancing Pineapple pt I

**All I'm going to say here is that I thought I had more of this chapter done than I actually did. Not that it really matters, since because of that I came up with a nice little idea for this fic (which I'll mention more of at the end of this chapter). Also in this chapter, since I got more than one review mentioning it, there's a bit of teasing fluff scene near the beginning. Oh, and you get to see the end of this chapter through another character's POV. Enjoy!**

**Note 1: Since Midnight Chime requested it I'm putting a 'mini-bio' section here for some of my OC's. Because of the new idea I had, I'm not sure how good it will do in the long run, but read it if you want. It'll probably make some things less confusing (when I write about them). If you don't feel like reading it, then scroll down to the rest of the chapter.**

**Rebecca Ananas**

**Age: 21**

**Occupation: Bartender/Waitress at The Dancing Pineapple**

**Hair color/Eye color: Golden Blonde w/salmon highlights (at the tips)/Blue**

**Personality: Generally cheerful, optimistic, and **_**very**_** eccentric, she tends to act younger than her age, but at times can be incredibly insightful (once she knows you well enough). Based off a friend of mine.**

**Artwork: Yes **

**Kefen **

**Age: 14ish**

**Occupation: student (in Middleschool)**

**Hair Color/Eye Color: Brown/pale green**

**Personality: Quiet, and extremely timid/shy around others, and thus hardly ever speaks. But he seems to have a good grip on people's personalities and is able to read almost anyone, even if he's only known them for a couple of minutes. **

**Artwork: Yes**

**Tasha Loan (woman at the accident)**

**Age: Late 30's**

**Occupation: -unknown-**

**Hair/Eye Color: Black and curly/Hazel**

**Personality: Very laid back, and seemingly slow paced about everything. Is currently visiting some close friends of hers.**

**Artwork: No**

**Hal Ryde (man at accident—who got taken away by the ambulance)**

**Age: Early 30's**

**Occupation: Construction worker (mainly houses) **

**Hair/Eye Color: Yellow/Hazel grey**

**Personality: Very superstitious, and fearful. Known by friends as the 'Clumsy Carpenter' because of his fear of heights. **

**Artwork: No**

**Reid Wand (boy at police station)**

**Age: 12**

**Occupation: Paper boy/student (middle school)**

**Hair/Eye Color: pale grey (almost white)/purplish grey**

**Personality: Seen as emotionless, but is really just cold towards others. Hates scary things and is a self proclaimed Medium. Whether or not that's true is a secret only his birth parents and 'sister' (Feral—girl that was killed) know. Based loosely off of Genis from Tales of Symphonia (just his hair/eye color, really) **

**Artwork: Yes (sort of—Genis wearing his outfit, basically) **

**Those are a few of the OC's for now (only two of which who will become slightly more important later on). If there're any others introduced (or my readers ask about another OC) then I'll try to remember to put a bio up for them.**

**Now on with the chapter! **

**--**

For some reason I couldn't even comprehend the words that just left my mouth. They didn't make any sense—but they _should_—_'But they shouldn't_—Does that make Lavi a liar?—_'Maybe'—_But what about earlier…?

I squashed all those thoughts immediately and instead watched the red-head baka-usagi in front of me. I couldn't count on his voice to tell me what he was thinking; I doubted he could trust it either. But his expression told me enough. Despite his best attempts to hide it—and the fact that I was, once again, breaking out of that solid thick nutshell I had formed around me—he was embarrassed. And ashamed. Two emotions even _I_ didn't want to see on his face.

I had seen this expression once before—back in High School, where he got himself into a load of crap that he _probably_ deserved for getting involved. But. This time I couldn't _not_ care, for whatever the hell reason.

"So…you're dating Tyki…?" I stated again, my voice mildly empty—at best, "_Why_?"

He exhaled shakily and refused to look up at me, "Because." He knew I wasn't going to let him get away with just that, but he remained silent, his face going from what it was to something more akin to horror.

"You acted like you hated him." He did look up as I said that, "When we were at the Diner—you were glaring at him." His eye widened slightly at that and he quickly looked away, turning slightly so that he could gaze out the large windows on the other side of the living room. And for a while—a few seconds, maybe a minute—neither of us said a word.

But then he spoke again, "Maybe I do. Or thought…I did." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself but his voice sounded just as hallow as mine sometimes did, "But why do ya care so much? People get mad at each other all th' time."

"Everyone isn't you." The words fell and landed awkwardly on the floor between us. It took me a moment to realize I had actually _said_ those words and, vainly, I tried to take them back, "Or at least I've never _seen_ anyone as insanely happy-go-lucky to the point someone wants to rip their _hair_ out—"

"You can stop y'know." He cut me off before I could even finish my sentence, turning to look at me with an odd smile on his lips, "It won't kill ya to say something _nice_ once in a while, Yuu. Don't try to cover it up like it's the worst thing in the world."

"I-I'm not covering _anything_ up." I hastily replied, though I could still feel my cheeks—for whatever ungodly reason—heating up in embarrassment.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see him move, and for a second I thought he'd come towards me, "Yeah you are." He said with a chuckle, slinging one arm around my shoulders, "but you failed. Try again next time."

My shoulders tensed before, slowly, relaxing, "Tch, whatever," I wanted to shove off his arm until I realized it was the wounded one, "you still need your pain medicine. And _don't_," I reached up with one hand and easily pressed against the part of his arm that I could reach, "say it doesn't _hurt_."

He flinched just like I though he would before retracting his arm and rubbing it lightly, "Well it _hurts _if you do _that_! Can't I take it _later_?" he asked, picking up the camera in one of the barstools before sitting down in it himself

"When is _later_? Remember? _Tyki_ wants you to meet where you did before." I pretended not to notice when he slightly lost his balance, "Though I suppose I could go with you and give it to you then. But…you'll be _drinking_ again, won't you?"

"I might." He didn't deny, "But you won't be coming with me."

"So you won't reintroduce me?" I asked and I wasn't really sure _why_ but that seemed to work.

He shifted once more in his seat, looking down at the camera case before saying, "Trust me. He isn't any different around me."

"_And_ you obviously hate—or at least severely _dislike_—the way he normally acts?"

"It was just somethin' he said," Lavi vainly tried to correct, "th-the night before. Nothing else than that."

"How long have you been 'going out'?"

He opened his mouth to respond before stopping and almost realizing what he was about to say, "Would ya _stop_ calling it that. We aren't _dating_—not…not _really_."

"Hence the quotation marks." I stated blandly, making him, for the second time, slightly lose his balance, "and _yes_ I'm going to continue bugging you about it."

"You care that much?"

I let out a sigh, "I just don't want you to do something stupid again. You already _know_ what I think of—of whatever it is you consider yourself and-and _that guy_," I couldn't bring myself to say his name, "to be. Or should I just ask how long you two have _known_ each other?"

"I've known 'im just as long as you have." Lavi seemed to relax at the question, "Just…he, ah, we talked a few times—when I was waitin' for you."

"And you decided to like him?"

"I _don't_ like him!"

"Then why are you—"

"_Not_ dating."

"_whatever-it-is_…?" I sighed exasperatedly, fully ready to just _shut_ that stupid shell that I had up around me. This really wasn't any of my business.

"Because—" I highly doubted he was going to even _tell_ me why, granted he didn't before, so I quickly cut him off.

"You know what? This really has nothing to do with me." His mouth slowly shut at that, but just as I turned away I felt pressure against my back. I tensed almost immediately and tried to move away, but two arms wrapped their way securely—_protectively_, but I shoved that word out of my thoughts—around my waist. I struggled for a moment, trying to get away, but then I stopped and hissed out, "_What_ are you doing?"

"An' you say _I'm_ bein' spontaneous."

"I never said that."

He let out a laugh, his warm breath puffing past my ear, "Yeah but ya thought it." I tried hard to concentrate on his words instead of his breathing—in—out—in—out—warm—warm—cold…?

"Gah!" I elbowed him as hard as I could in the ribs, and pushed myself away, clasping one hand over my ear before glaring at him, "What was _that_ for?!"

He just laughed, "Well someone needs ta make it a little less obvious that they aren't payin' attention!"

"I was—"

"—not."

"And where's the proof of _that_?" I questioned, "There's no way you can tell I wasn't."

He just shook his head, "It's kinda obvious when someone has ta blow in your ear just to get your attention." I tried hard not to look away when he grinned. It was the kind of grin that I _really_ didn't want to think about.

"Of course I was paying attention. You blew in my ear for no reason." I justified, "Now _let me leave_."

"I'm not stoppin' you," He shrugged his shoulders, but still didn't wipe that grin off his face, "But y'know…I'll just follow ya." He waved his good arm around the room, "No doors, remember?"

"Then I'll go in the _bathroom_." It probably sounded pathetic, but it was a fact. I could just lock the door and _stay_ there until Lavi gave up.

'_That really _does_ sound pathetic.' _I gritted my teeth and tried my best to ignore the thought.

"The bathroom?" Lavi seemed to muse over this for a moment, before his grin turned into an even deadlier smirk, "Kinky."

That. Was. It.

"You can't take anything seriously _can you_?" I all but shouted at him, "You won't even tell me something that even _I _can see turning out like crap." I took a deep breath and averted my gaze away from his face, "But then again, this really is none of my business." I turned away and marched halfway across the room, until I was standing right in front of the bathroom door. I could feel his presence, lingering a few inches away. His hand, the wounded one, was outstretched towards me, and at first I thought he was going to grab my wrist again. I could break his grip easily if I wanted to—and he _knew_ that. But he didn't make any move to close his hand. He just gently laid his fingertips against the underside, as if he was feeling the pulse of my heart beat. I turned my head slightly to the side, "_What_?" The words didn't come out as bitter as I wanted them to, but his face was so close to mine, the effect couldn't have been there no matter how much I tried.

"Y'know," his voice sounded softer for some reason, resigned, almost, "I can't stop ya…if…y'know…you _follow_ me—when I go out, I mean." He let out a laugh, "I mean—I wish ya wouldn't. I wish you'd just stay here an' just _wait_ for me. But I really don't think you're gonna turn a one-eighty an' _care_ that much."

"How astute of you to notice." I replied dryly, causing him to laugh again.

"Yup, yup, it just…wouldn't be _Yuu_—if Yuu did somethin' like that." I didn't know why he was speaking like I wasn't…_me_…that I was _someone else_, but it seemed to help, so I just listened, "I know the guy—_Tyki_—said that 'e wanted to meet Yuu, but that's not normal for him. He…dislikes almost everyone, but it's not apparent. An' when he _does_ show interest in you, it's usually not for very long. I got lucky—he's been payin' so much attention to me that I'll probably be set for the rest of my life—or as the saying goes," he let out another, more sarcastic, laugh, "but if it's anyone else, I'd be worried as hell. An' it—it just so _happened_ to be Yuu. Can ya understand why I'm so worried now?"

For a moment I wasn't sure if he _wanted_ me to speak, but I did, after silence seemed to just fill the space like an empty container being filled with water, "…No." I felt him shift, pressing against my pulse a little harder, "How _can_ I—_Yuu_—understand that? Do you know how confusing you've been lately? Or is that just something that you pass over as natural consequence."

"Natural Consequence," he quickly answered, "Do ya honestly think I can get away with tellin' you straight up?"

Another moment of silence passed before, slowly, I asked, "It's that bad?"

"Tyki always loves riddles." That didn't answer my question, but I listened anyway, "An' he loves it even _more_ when he can find someone who can solve the riddles. Just as easily."

"So this is all some sort of complex riddle?" I asked in disbelief, "It doesn't sound like one."

"Of course it doesn't—cuz it _isn't_." He let out a sigh and then laughed again, "Maybe it's just better if ya don't ever get it." Then he lowered his voice and, in an almost reprimanding tone, muttered, "That ain't right, though. I know it isn't. Ah, hell," he raised his voice again, and pressed once more against my wrist, "I guess…to make things easier—you get me the pain medicine. I'll actually take it. Then I leave, and make up some load of crap about why _you_ aren't with me, an' then I can just assume you stayed here—which I really hope you do." This time I turned—as much as I could—to face him, and he grinned, "Does it sound like a plan?"

"No." My voice was flat, but it lacked any forceful annoyance behind it to tell him how—how_ irritated_ I was by all of this. "It sounds more like your thought process. Jumbled and never following one train of thought for too long."

"that's how everyone thinks, Yuu-chan." Now it sounded like he was scolding _me_—and—

"How many times do I have to tell you _not_ to call me that?"

"I lost count a while ago."

I blinked, "You…" I stopped the question before I could even fully ask it, "Never mind. Fine. I'll get the pain medicine. You get something to drink and _sit_."

Before I even realized it I was back in the kitchen, with the _baka-Usagi_ pulling one of the stools away from the counter, causing the chair legs to scrape noisily against the floor, taking out one of the painkillers the doctor had prescribed to ease the pain—_'The pain he doesn't seem to be feeling.'_ But I quickly shoved that thought aside as well—of his wound.

"Here," I set down the pill on a napkin, sliding it so that it was right in front of him. Then I noticed he didn't get a drink, and I let out a sigh, "What do you want to drink?"

He grinned almost pervertedly—and I _really_ didn't want to know what it meant—before stating loudly, "The usual!"

I grimaced, "So _sorry_, this isn't a bar. Or a fast food joint," I glared daggers at him over my shoulder as I turned to face the refrigerator, "_tell me_ what you _want_ with actual _words_. Not some silly phrase."

He groaned playfully, "Aw, but that's the old _fashioned_ way! You should know what I like by now." I refused to think of that in any other way besides the literal meaning—_'I will _not_ allow him to corrupt my mind like that.'_ But I didn't even want to think of what my _own_ thought meant—so I opened the fridge door and pulled out the closest can of whatever we had—it was a Pepsi—and turned back around.

"Will this do?" I held it up, and he nodded his head, another—slightly more _innocent_—grin plastering its way onto his face.

"So ya _do_ remember what I like!" I wasn't going to tell him that I had only guessed, but it didn't matter. He opened the can, took a sip, exhaling in the way that almost everyone did in commercials, before popping the painkiller in his mouth and taking another sip. He made a slight gagging sound, but he managed to swallow it, taking a large gulp of soda afterwards. After he was done he exhaled loudly, "Okay. The pill's gone." He sounded relieved, "Now I should prob'ly get ready if I wanna be there on time."

"You'll have to take the bus." I reminded him, "So you'll need to go even earlier. Unless Tyki is willing to actually _stop by_ and pick you up."

He visibly flinched at that, "I don't think so. I'd rather take the bus anyway." He got up out of his seat—causing the legs of the stool to grate annoyingly against the floor _again_—turning away from me almost immediately before heading towards his own room.

I didn't even bother to follow him. I didn't have a reason to, _'He'll be ready soon, anyway.' _But I couldn't help the urge to stay nearby. So I walked over near his door, but didn't enter, and looked at the photographs—all small and seemingly insignificant, so much so that I never really _looked_ at them before—displayed on the wall. Each was a picture of some sort of scenery. Or part of a scenery. A flower pot, a sapling tree, some random daffodils, even a violet—all placed together in a row.

'_When did he take these?' _I wondered, touching one of the pictures. Their quality wasn't as good as some of the others that Lavi had taken. In fact, it was almost like…_'Almost like he took them with a disposable camera.' _Which could only mean he had took them when we were only kids.

But…_when_?

"Hey, hey, what'cha lookin' at?" I jumped at the sound of Lavi's voice—_right_ in my left ear—and looked up at him. He smiled, almost apologetically, before looking over at the photo's I had been staring at. Suddenly his face went blank—almost…carefully so—before switching to an expression that didn't look sad, but more like…disappointed. Or something. "You're lookin' at these?" He asked softly, looking back at me, and I nodded my head, "Why?"

"I…never noticed them before." I answered back just as softly, "and I was wondering when you took them. I know it was probably sometime when we were kids, but…" I trailed off, looking back at the photographs as well.

"It was right before the accident." I stiffened at that, "I took 'em…I think, a few days before. Gramps gave me a camera ta amuse myself with, an' you wouldn't let me take a picture of you so I decided to take a picture of a bunch of other things." He let out a laugh, but it sounded strangled and deformed, "The old Panda wouldn't let me develop the pictures, though, not for a while. But we finally did an'…I found 'em when I was moving my stuff in. I thought it'd be nice to have 'em here."

"But…_why_?" I tried hard to keep my voice from shaking. It was almost…almost not—not _what_? Real? I couldn't explain it—but the fact that he remembered taking pictures of something so _pointless_, and turning it into some sort of memorabilia…

"Should I take them down?" He sounded concerned now, "Y'never seemed to notice them before—if it bugs you I can…"

"No." I cut him off, "It's fine. You're right; I never really took the time _to _notice them. It's…none of my business what…photographs you decide to keep." I shrugged off the hand that had tentatively landed on my shoulder, "You'll be late if you don't leave now."

"An' you're the master of changin' subjects." He muttered under his breath, backing away from me, "I get it. But if you ever—"

I raised my hand to get him to stop speaking, and it miraculously worked, "It's none of my business, as I said. Do whatever the hell you want to. They're your photographs; you can do whatever _you_ want. It won't affect me."

He looked like he wanted to say something more in response to that, but whatever internal battle was raging inside of him, the side that said 'leave' won. Not by much, maybe, he still looked like he wanted to say something, but he allowed the winning side to move him over towards the door until he was through it, and the lock latched shut.

I let out a sigh once I was sure he wasn't going to barge back in, and turned; fully ready to walk to my room and wait, for however long it took for him to wait for the bus, get on it, and then get to the restaurant—If he didn't just decide to _walk_ there—when something silver, or close to silver, caught my eye. Lavi had left his light on, and because of that, something silver and very much phone-shaped was reflecting it.

I took a few steps into his room, and then stopped. There, lying on the center of his bed—probably thrown there when he was changing his shirt—was none other than his cell phone.

'_I can't believe he forgot it.' _I took a few more steps into his room until I reached the side of his bed. I leaned over and grabbed the phone, almost dropping it when it started to vibrate. For a moment I debated on whether or not I _should_ answer it—or just let it ring. But the answer was easy.

After all, it was none of my business.

I didn't leave the room, though, not immediately. I waited until the phone stopped ringing, and then, for some ungodly reason, I reached over and flipped the phone open. A new Voice Mail. My hands seemed to move on their own as they brought the phone up to my ear so that I could listen to the voice mail that wasn't supposed to be for me. This really wasn't any of my business.

But all things considering, maybe it was.

For a few seconds there was silence, and then there was the loud, slightly rough, sound of Lavi's 'grandfather'—The Panda. _'Lavi, I don't know what you're doing, but I strongly advise against it. Call me back.' _Then there was the familiar sound of someone hanging up.

"What…?"

-- (Lavi's POV –gasp-) --

I took a deep breath, tugging my coat tighter around me, before I stepped in through the sliding glass doors of The Dancing Pineapple. The sign, blazed in neon gold and green above the doors, seemed to move in synch with my rapid heartbeat.

It wasn't like me to be so nervous.

Hell, how could I _not_ be nervous? Kanda hated me. Or at least he was _about_ to. I took another breath, inhaling the smoky scent of the only _real_ bar in the town. The noise, louder to my ears than probably anyone else's, seemed amplified, or more focused, with each step I took on the hollow oak flooring, which covered the majority of the restaurant. Almost immediately a waitress—a pretty thing, probably two years younger than me, with green eyes, russet brown hair, and beach-tanned skin—came up to me. Her eyes were tearing up from the smoke, and I could tell she probably needed an inhaler, or at least a breath of fresh air.

She tried to smile and asked, "How may I help you?"

"I'm here with a group. I believe most of 'em are already here." I answered, grinning down at her.

She flushed slightly and quickly looked down at the reservations listed on the binder sitting on the podium, "Their names?"

"Tyki Mickey. And I think his niece may be with him."

Her eyes lit up in recognition, and immediately she returned my smile, "Ah, I see. Right this way please!" She didn't bother to take a menu before diving into the already semi-crowded restaurant. She led me to a high-top table that was near the back, close to where we had sat the night before, and immediately I noticed the dark-haired man I had agreed to see. The one I absolutely _had_ to keep Kanda away from, even _if _he was the God of death himself and could kill me in one blow.

Wait. Bad analogy.

Tyki looked up almost immediately as we neared, and smiled warmly at the waitress, "Ah, thank you, thank you. Lavi! Come, sit down!" He motioned to the stool next to his—I was silently glad we _had_ stools this time, and weren't sitting in booths—he seemed to realize I hadn't brought the one person he wanted to see, and for a moment his eyes darkened. Then, almost a split second later, they brightened again, "We're still waiting for a few people to arrive; then I'm sure we'll be ready to order."

The waitress nodded her head and immediately backed away through the crowd, disappearing in the sea of people…just like a fish.

I knew almost immediately that I was in danger. My guard shot up as Tyki placed a hand, mockingly soothingly against my thigh, "My, is someone tense tonight?" He asked in that easy way of his, "You must be! I heard there was an accident that you got involved in! It must have been stressful." The sickest thing was that he _really_ sounded worried.

"Eh, it definitely doesn't happen everyday," I replied with a half-way forced shrug that I was sure even _he_ wouldn't be able to tell was forced, "but everything worked out in the end. They let me an' Kanda—" my eye narrowed slightly at the grin that slowly worked its way across Tyki's face, "—leave almost immediately. Though now we gotta worry about what to say about us bein' absent tomorrow."

"Oh? You actually have a teacher who counts roll?" He asked in an amused tone, "Your photography teacher, I assume?"

"Yeah." I let out a sigh, trying hard to fight against the pull that _made_ me want to relax, "That's what happens when ya get a teacher who's taught in High school for practically all her life."

Tyki made a 'tsk-ing' sound with his tongue before leaning forward onto the table, "I see, I see. I'm sure she'll understand—you couldn't leave, after all. The police were there."

"I hope so."

"And how is _Kanda_ _Yuu_ doing?" I opened my mouth to answer him, but then almost immediately snapped it shut. He casually glanced at me, not making a move to sit back in his chair, and asked again, "Well? How _is_ he? I would have liked to meet him personally, but I suppose some people just aren't ready for that, hmm?"

I gritted my teeth, and was _just_ about to answer when a woman's voice cut me off, "Oh, dear. Tyki! Every time I come to visit you're always bothering someone with incessant questions." I snapped my eyes up and immediately they were met with someone I didn't expect. Or rather, _two_ people I didn't expect.

The first was someone I actually recognized. Lulubelle, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and her tinted glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, wearing the same black suit I had seen her in the night before—except with a pale blue undershirt, and a different colored tie. She nodded her head to Tyki, who almost looked surprise, before sitting down in the stool across from me.

The second woman was someone I had only vaguely remembered from the haze of last night. She was the one who had taken the photos—_'That I still need to delete'_ I hastily reminded myself—and who had laughed nearly the entire time. Veronica, or Vanessa, maybe even Victory. But that was beside the point. The one thing I clearly remembered about her was her flaming red hair, even darker—or at least _redder_—than my own. And her eyes, a strange mix of green and yellow, along with her tacky fashion sense that seemed to suit her.

She seemed to realize I was staring, but said nothing and instead took the seat next to mine, "I don't believe we've been formally introduced. But I'm the one who abducted your camera last night, I sincerely apologize." She bowed her head almost mockingly but there was something—_something_ that made even a gesture like that, which would've probably annoyed me with how tense I was, flow over like it was nothing.

"It's fine. You gave it back, an' that's what matters." I stated, smiling up at her. She easily smiled back before extending her hand in a handshake.

"Your name is?" she asked in a sweet voice, "Lavi? Is that correct?" I nodded my head, "What a wonderful name, I believe it means 'Lion' in some language or another." She gushed, her smile widening ever so slightly, "My name is Veronica. In Latin it means 'true image', which I take oh-so personally, as you can see."

I bit back a laugh at that. It was more like _finding_ her image—with a paint-splashed turtleneck, black scarf, and tight blue jeans with hiker boots.

"See? See?" she smiled over my head at Tyki, "Someone seems to enjoy my fashion sense. Why can't _you_?"

Almost immediately I tensed again, waiting for the hidden coldness that slipped into the older man's voice whenever my attention—or anyone's attention—was diverted away from him. This is why it took me completely by surprise when he laughed—laughed like this was some sort of joke that could be passed along between friends. Or something. His laughter died a moment later, giving way to lighthearted words, "Well as you know, I'm one for high fashion, not some artsy rendition of something seen in a movie that takes place mostly in a dark alleyway of some city somewhere."

"Ooh!" The pout on her face was almost natural, but there was enough good natured-ness in it that made me know she was nowhere near serious, "Jasdero and David aren't going to be happy when they hear you say that!"

Tyki chuckled at that and leaned towards me, placing a hand on my thigh again before saying, "You mean you're going to tell them?"

"If they don't come in uninvited." She answered back, her eyes flicking down towards his hand before flicking back up to my face, "You know they don't abide by rules—even _Earl_ has a hard time controlling them."

Both Lulubelle and Tyki tensed at the mention of _The Earl_—someone I had only heard briefly about during…during that night. I clenched my teeth together and tried to force the memories back that I _knew_ would come. I almost succeeded, only a few bits and pieces—Tyki bending over me with a grin on his lips, whispering something about how_ The Earl_ made him do this, and how he would do worse to Kanda if his interest in him ever peaked. Then the memory of when he tore my eye patch off…and the shocked expression…

My mental wall immediately came crashing down on that thought. I _didn't_ need to remember that. No. Especially not when I could see, coming towards us from one of the other tables, a familiar mop of spiky blue hair and matching blue eyes. Eyes that were locked on my own as the owner of those eyes licked lazily at a lollipop.

Tyki noticed her as well and attempted to smile through the tenseness, "Ah, Road! Shouldn't you be home by now? Sheryl—your father—went home a while ago."

Road pulled the piece of candy loudly out of her mouth and smiled almost _too_ sweetly as she sat down in the seat directly in front of him, "Oh but I wouldn't've had any _fun_ if I stayed at home! I'd just have to do _homework_, and no one would be there to _help me_!"

"We would have helped you once we got back." Lulubelle murmured quietly, "You know I don't mind helping you."

"I don't either," Veronica stated with a shrug, her eyes once more snapping down to Tyki's hand—which hadn't moved at all—before meeting Road's own, "though I will have to say that you should do it by yourself. You're just as smart as we are, after all."

At first I thought Road would throw a mini-temper tantrum. But instead she let out an annoyed sigh and stuck her lollipop back in her mouth, "Aww, but with everyone there it makes it _twice as fun_!"

"Only for you." Tyki sarcastically replied back, lifting his hand from my thigh to place it on the table, "Veronica is right, we won't always be able to do your work for you. Not when you grow up."

Road immediately narrowed her eyes, pulling out her candy once more and pointing it directly at Tyki, "Y'know, nothing ever sounds as nice when it comes from you."

Tyki laughed humorously, a strange grin wrapping its way around his lips, "Oh, well I don't nearly have that much talent. I just have the charisma."

"Which is good for dinner parties." Road agreed, "But not good for controlling an angry mob of people."

Tyki grimaced, his hand immediately dropping from the table to my thigh once more. This time he squeezed it suggestively, saying loudly, "Enough idle chit-chat. We're here for good times, yes?" I had to resist the urge to nod my head in unison with everyone else, "So why don't we order our drinks now? Maybe an appetizer or two?" He squeezed my thigh again and I became faintly aware that Veronica was staring at me again. But then suddenly her eyes snapped up, and scanned the crowd, landing on someone in the distance. I followed her gaze and I could swear I felt my blood run cold.

There, just stepping through the doorway, with his hair up in a loose ponytail, and a jacket hung around his shoulders, was none other than the one person that I hoped I'd never see here.

It was Kanda. It was Yuu.

And worst of all, Tyki noticed.

--

**A/N: Is it bad that I get to chapter six and suddenly know what direction I want this story to going in? Probably. But the idea (or direction) has been bugging me for a while, so I decided to throw it in here and surprisingly enough it actually **_**fit**_**. Unfortunately it means that some people (or OC's) will **_**have**_** to die off. But this was turning into a murder/mystery fic anyway, so I'm not too concerned. Yes Veronica comes along with this idea, meaning you'll see a whole lot of her in the upcoming chapters (along with a possibility of more Lavi POV's—since he's **_**much**_** easier to write than Kanda). **

**But anyway, again if you have any questions/comments/loved it? Have CC? Send it via review! I'd love to hear from you! **

**-Till the next chapter**

**  
-Harmony283 **


	8. The Dancing Pineapple pt II

**An' here's Chapter Seven! It didn't go as easily as the last one did, but I had to figure out what the heck to **_**write**_** (or more like conveniently leave out), and that's a little harder than it sounds, considering how important these chapters are. But I did manage to finish it up (after a while…), and I like the end result, so I hope you do too!**

**Note: I'll put this here: I'm **_**extremely**_** surprised by how well this fanfic is actually doing o.o I almost have 50 reviews and I'm not even to chapter 10 yet (I don't believe that's happened before…). It makes me happy to know that I'm finally doing something right for once XD And of course—a HUGE thank you to everyone who's reviewed thus far! –hugs everyone- **

**Review Reply (for anon.): **

**Tokitoh: **Thanks for the super long review! (I really love those, and they make me very happy, so I don't mind 'em at all!) I hope whatever confused you isn't confusing anymore, an' I think this chapter might be relatively easy to understand (or at least I hope it will be). Aaand don't worry, I never kill of the main characters ; I hate reading about that, so why would I write it in my own stories? As for a sequel, well, I can't promise it this early on (I don't even know how long this'll be so…), but I can say I'm definitely planning on writing another fanfic for this section. Whenever that'll be…I have no idea. –cough- But anyways thanks so much for the review! (again) and I really hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

**--**

Someone was staring at me. I could tell that from the moment I walked in. I couldn't tell who it was— for all I knew, it could have been anyone looking up just to see who walked in. But it wasn't that kind of stare. It was the kind someone did to tell you _yes_ they were staring at you for a reason. All you had to do was look up and find them.

But in a restaurant—_bar_—as crowded as this it was nearly impossible. Unless the one staring at you happened to stick out even _in_ a crowd. Or I should say group. At least that's what it felt like. I narrowed my eyes and looked through the crowd, but almost immediately I was interrupted.

"Oh, no way." The voice sounded familiar, and when I turned my head I saw that girl that had helped me out earlier—_Rebecca_, I think her name was. She had her hair pulled back in a short ponytail and she had on a different uniform, with a red pineapple logo on the front, and a small black apron that had a notepad and a few straws sticking out of the pockets. Not to mention she had this almost _disbelieving_ look on her face, "What the heck are _you_ doing here?" Her voice would've sound accusing if she probably didn't already know—or _guess_—that I'd never go into a place like this is if I could help it.

Or…wait. _Did_ she know that? No.

"Tch, and I _can't_ go anywhere without someone asking me _why_?" I questioned lowly, only to get a grin in response.

One that almost looked like Lavi's.

But it wasn't.

It didn't help that she laughed, "_Sure. _of course you're just here to be here," she leaned in a bit closer, her hair falling over her shoulder, and eyed me again with that accusing stare, "You don't look like the 'bar' kind of person."

"You don't know that."

"But I can guess it." She replied back, not skipping a beat. She didn't even give me enough to formulate a _response_ before she was pegging me again with another sharp comment, "Your red-haired friend _Lavi_ seems more like the type. In fact I think I _just_ saw him a while ago, you wouldn't happen to have just…_dropped by_ to see where he is?" Then to make matters worse: she _grinned_.

I really didn't want to know what that meant.

And I _really_ didn't know why the hell it even bothered me. So I just brushed it off, "Hnn, maybe." She would probably be able to find him better in this crowd than even _I_ could. Not that I was about to ask her for help. No.

"Really?" She looked almost surprised that she had been right, "I'd ask why but—oh, what the heck," she took a step closer, "_why_?"

"His cell phone." I fished around in my pocket, "He left his cell phone."

"And?" She blinked, "Why would he need it? I mean—I know he'd call _you_ obviously, but your car's trashed, just like mine, so it's not like you'd be able to help him at all."

"I didn't finish." She blinked again, still confused, "His…_grandfather_ called. I'd assume he'd want to see what he called about. It sounded important."

"Ah," she nodded her head in agreement before pausing and looking back up at me, "and you obviously are wondering where the crap he is in this huge throng of people."

'_And why the hell someone's STILL staring at me.' _But I didn't say that out loud. I simply stared off into the crowd, trying vainly to find a familiar mop of red hair. It was almost impossible. _Almost_. But I saw a flash of familiar red near the back of the restaurant—and just as quickly I knew what direction I should go in.

The only problem was the sudden sea of people. There was no way in _hell_ I'd be able to get through that. And that, all on its own, reminded me of something Lavi had said, not even a few days ago.

"_Ya can't say that though! What if some guy mistakes ya for a girl at a bar and takes ya to the back and—"_

I was _very_ glad that I hadn't let him finish that sentence. But it made me a liar. I had _said_ I'd never go to a bar. And yet here I am.

"You'll probably need some help gettin' through that." I almost jumped at the sound of Rebecca's voice—_right _in my ear. She laughed at my small reaction, and, when I turned to face her, grinned, "I don't think it'd be too safe sendin' you alone through a mob of people—so why don't _I_ take ya through it? People know me, they wouldn't dare touch ya if you're with me."

'_That doesn't make me feel that much safer.' _I thought quietly to myself, _'But then, no one would be stupid enough—except maybe Lavi—to jump someone who's being led to a table.' _I replayed that thought in my mind about twice, and then grimaced, _'I hope he doesn't do that…' _

She didn't give me time to give her a proper response—I just turned my head away and got halfway through a shrug, when she grabbed my wrist in a vice-grip and dragged me through the swarm of people.

I pretended I didn't see some people turn their heads when I walked by, but then quickly turn back when _someone else_ got up, and left their table.

'_Why does everyone always stare at me?' _I thought, trying hard to glare straight ahead, _'I don't care _why_, I just…want to _know_ why. It doesn't bother me.' _

Rebecca paused for a moment as a man carrying a huge stack of dishes cut us off, and that gave me enough time to think over what I just said, _'I sound like a hypocrite.' _

Then I was being dragged again, we were closer to the back though—with the 'rowdier' people—the ones who didn't so much as _care_ that at a restaurant you had to _drink_ at the bar and _eat_ at table…not stand up and make absolute fools of yourself.

'_This is why I hate places like this. No precision—no enforcement—the people basically do whatever the hell they—' _

I felt the waitress tug harshly on my arm and looked down at her, "I think I see 'im, a few tables away." She nodded her head towards a booth of stools that sat elevated from the surrounding booths—like a few others did surrounding the restaurant. There sitting at it was Lavi—he was obvious enough, but he seemed to be distracted, his eyes moving rapidly over the crowd—Tyki was the second most obvious person, and he too, was looking out at the crowd, but instead of having both hands placed _firmly_ on the table top, one was missing—probably under the table. It was the one closest to Lavi.

I had to wonder why that suddenly made me…made me…I shook the feeling away as best I could and narrowed my eyes. For some reason Road was there, along with…a girl that almost looked like her sister—_Lulubell_, or something close to it. The final person, sitting on Lavi's other side, was a woman with blazing red hair that I knew must be a relation to Tyki somehow.

'_But she doesn't look like them_.' And she didn't; in fact, she almost looked like she'd be related to _Lavi. _Except for the fact that I knew he didn't have any other living relatives. I'd _known_ that since I first met him.

And I _really_ didn't want to think about that at a time like this—in a smoke filled bar, with an insane amount of people around making it all so _very_ irritating.

But then I noticed one other thing. That woman—she was looking at me now, her eyes widening a bit in either surprise or shock. Lavi seems to notice me at the exact same time, and shoots out of his chair. This made everyone else at the table turn to look at me. And suddenly I felt…_awkward_.

But I brush it off, taking a step away from Rebecca—who for some reason or another looked tense. I heard her mutter something under her breath, but I couldn't hear what she said—it was getting to loud. But I could see that she _didn't_ look happy, and that she _wasn't_ trying to hide it. She actually tried to stop me before I took another step forward, but I just shoved her off, probably making her hate me even more. Or maybe just making her worry more.

I made it about half way to the table before Lavi seemed to realize that it really _was _me and not just his imagination, though he couldn't really _say_ anything—Tyki cut him off, "Ah, so you really did decide to come!" he smiled in a disturbingly sweet sort of way, "It's so nice to finally meet you—oh," he turned to Lavi, "—though I suppose I already have met you, just not in _this way_. Why don't you _reintroduce me_?" It sounded like a simple request, but from the tense look on Lavi's face I could tell it was more than that.

He was treating it more like a…a _threat_, than just a simple suggestion. Even the way he beckoned me to the table looked like he was testing his foot in water that turned out to be much deeper than expected—and was shark infested.

I grimaced inwardly at the image, but quickly shrugged it off and crossed the relatively short distance to the table. Almost immediately the red haired woman stood and allowed Lavi to move past me. She actually looked more relaxed out of everyone at the table, but the way she was eyeing Tyki told me that she didn't trust his words either.

And somewhere in the back of my mind I wondered if _maybe_ I should have listened to the baka-usagi and stayed home.

"Kanda," Lavi finally spoke, and it startled me that he used my _last name_—he usually never did. Or at least, not in _that_ tone. There wasn't any hint of the usual tease like normal and I almost felt my stomach drop, "This is Tyki, obviously, you two've met before but he's, ah—"

"—It's a pleasure to meet you again," Tyki cut him off, moving away from the table to come around to stand next to me. He held out his hand harmlessly enough and I, hesitantly, extended my own. He grasped it in a firm, cold grip—which lasted a _little_ too long—before moving back to his seat again, though he made no move to sit back down, "Why don't you sit down? Stay a while? I'm surprised you could make it though." I would have asked why, just for the sake of saying something, but the look he shot at Lavi made me realize that I probably shouldn't, "Lavi here," Tyki explained further, "Said you wouldn't be able to make it."

"I'm just as surprised." Lavi quickly retorted, "I thought you were gonna work on that project due in Photography? Have you chosen a picture yet?"

It surprised me by the ease of his question, and by the way he masked whatever worry I _knew_ he must be feeling, but I answered anyway, "No I haven't. But I will when I get back. I can't stay long."

"I see, I see," Tyki nodded, before sitting back down in his chair and folding his arms against the tabletop, an uneasy smile crossing his lips, "Why don't you sit down and have a drink? You can stay long enough for that, can't you? It's still early in the night!"

Well it _was_ early. At least, probably for any bar-goers—not that I knew much about the timeframe anyway—but I quickly shook my head, "I don't drink."

"Really?" This seemed to amuse him, "You certainly _look_ old enough."

"I make it a point not to go with social norms." I said again, trying my best to make my shrug look natural.

"Oh?" This seemed to amuse him even more, in an odd sort of way, "I'm surprised Lavi hasn't made you try some. He's a _frequent_ drinker, and he can hold his own quite well, given."

Lavi made a face at that and Road laughed, "That's funny, big-brother Tyki," she hummed, "But y'know some people just don't like ta drink!"

"And I wouldn't force him to, anyway." Lavi quickly added on, "We're _both_ not exactly," he stopped and made a motion with his hands, "but y'gotta respect that in some regard, y'know?"

"touché, touché," The auburn haired woman said with a firm nod, I hardly drink myself." This response—or in fact, her talking _at all_—seemed to peeve Tyki slightly, or at least it was enough to make his smile turn into a slight frown. But this didn't seem to faze her in the least, and she continued on, "By the way, my name is Veronica. I don't believe we've ever met before." She extended her hand and this time when I shook it I noticed something. _Yes_ she had the same strong grip as Tyki did. But her hands weren't cold. Even her smile didn't seem anything like Tyki's, but then that very same smile turned into a sort of devious grin, "Why don't you sit down a while? You must be tired if you had to come all the way here." I was going to protest, but she semi-dragged me to where she had been sitting and nearly forced me into the chair.

'_Almost like Lavi would_.' But I pushed that thought away and shifted in the seat. I could feel everyone's eyes on me and honestly it was uncomfortable. I never much cared about what people thought of me—or people staring at me in general, but _now_ it almost seemed awkward and uncomfortable—and it bothered me, to say the least. For a moment I was tempted to yell at them, but again the situation was too tense for even something like _that_. Not that it was a small thing to yell at someone for just staring at you—but still.

Lavi quickly made a move to sit back down in his chair, and actually succeeded, when I had to wonder where the woman—Veronica—would sit. To my surprise she maneuvered around the table to Tyki's other side—shooting him a sideways glare before sitting down in the chair on his other side. Then she went back to the easy, almost relaxed, smile that she had been wearing earlier.

'_I don't know whether that's more disturbing than being obvious about it.' _I thought silently as I glanced at the others at the table. Road seemed to be second in terms of ease—licking away at that…lollipop without a care in the world. Tyki seemed to be trying to keep back to his calm demeanor, and was failing miserably, while Lulubelle didn't seem entirely _there_—or_ here_—to begin with, and Lavi…he actually _looked_ composed, but he kept shifting in his seat like he was uncomfortable.

And again it hit me by how clueless I really was with this entire situation. I knew next to nothing about practically everyone at this table—and even now, seeing Lavi like this, and how he had been over the past few days, I began to doubt what I really knew about _him_. That couldn't be good, in any sense of the word, and normally I wasn't perceptive. I actually tried _not_ to be. It gave me too much of a headache, and, in fact, I could feel one forming now.

Not that I could act on it, because almost immediately a waitress walked up to us. She seemed surprised to see me here, but smiled easily enough, "I'm here to take your orders now!" I didn't know if it was just me, but it almost looked like she was trying to hold her breath—_'Is she sick?' _I wondered, but quickly pushed the unneeded thought away.

"I believe I'll have the drink special of the night," Tyki easily answered first, a warm smile etching it's way across his lips that instantly had a blush forming on the girl's cheeks.

"I want Lem-on-ade!" Road answered next, waving her arm almost randomly.

"A glass of red wine would be fine with me," Lulubelle hummed softly, still seeming oddly distant from the rest of the table. Or more like she was—no. I'd probably guess wrong anyway.

"I'll have the Strawberry Daquire," Veronica said with an equally charming—yet still relaxed—smile that immediately seemed to put the waitress at ease.

"I'll have the house specialty as well." Lavi said with an equally charming—but goofy—smile, "an' our guest 'ere'll like somethin' light, preferably without alcohol. What'd'ya recommend?" It was almost like he guessed she was underaged, or close to it.

And the waitress blushed, "Oh—well we can order a virgin of any drink, but I know our Pineapple cocktail is good with or without, so would that be fine?"

I barely managed to nod my head before she scribbled that down on her notepad and literally _flounced_ away after stating the natural waitress line of "The –insert drink/dish/appetizer here- will be out in a few minutes!"

Then it was awkward again. Not as much as before, but close enough.

"_So_," to my surprise it was actually Road who began the conversation, "How long until Devit an' Jasdero come in and crash the joint?" Those were two names I definitely wasn't familiar with, but every other person—except Veronica—grimaced.

"Oh?" the said red-head laughed out, "I bet only a few minutes. You _know_ how quickly news gets to them."

"They're supposed to be busy though, aren't they?" Lulubelle asked, sounding confused, "They wouldn't just be able to leave."

"Or so you'd think." Veronica leaned forward, a smirk on her face, "But I assure you they'll come."

"They wouldn't miss a get-together," Road quickly agreed, "Even though it wasn't as huge as last night. We seriously rocked the house!"

That…sounded _so_ wrong.

"Ahahah, yes we certainly did." Tyki agreed, a grin making it's way across his lips, "Didn't we, Lavi?" I didn't know why but I _hated_ the way he said his name

And Lavi didn't seem that much happier about it either, but he answered anyway, "Yeah, got pictures to prove it, which if y'wanna see 'em I guess you can." He directed the last part of the sentence at me, and honestly that surprised me, "What? Y'thought just cuz I didn't wanna show 'em to you last night that I wouldn't show 'em to you at all? I'm hurt." Suddenly he seemed too relaxed, almost like he had gotten used to the…atmosphere. Or something. It was almost unnerving. Even more so when he started to laugh—or chuckle, "What's with the expression, Kan-da?" He was even saying my name playfully now, "I'm sure some of 'em'll actually make even _you_ laugh."

"My, I don't believe I've ever heard you laugh before." Tyki hummed out, and I saw him reach out, under the table, and place a hand rather intimately on Lavi's thigh. I tried hard to pretend I didn't notice it. I tried even _harder_ to pretend that it didn't annoy me. I didn't even want to think of _why_ it did.

"Oh, 'e's not the laughing type." Lavi responded to the question easily, with a grin to match, "But if ya _can_ get 'im to laugh then," he grinned, "It's a rare sight ta see—I've only seen it a few times."

"So it's a sin for me not to laugh?" I ground out, and Lavi immediately turned back to me, a stunning grin on his lips that suddenly made me speechless. I didn't want to think of why.

"Oh, no," he shook his head with a slightly calmer expression on his face, "It just makes it more special, if that makes sense."

It didn't, but I slightly nodded my head, just move the conversation along.

"Well things_ are_ naturally special the less amount of time you do them," Veronica agreed, her eyes glued both on Tyki and on Lavi, her eyes shifting down to the tabletop—_or under the table_—before shifting back up and looking at me, "In fact I think—you don't smile much either, do you?"

I blinked. How was I supposed to answer that?

"Nah he doesn't." Lavi answered her for me, and for some reason I wanted to kick him, but found I couldn't. Not here, anyway.

"I see," she closed her eyes for a moment before smiling, "I'm sure it'd make for a pretty picture. It's a shame none of brought a camera tonight." She opened her eyes and looked over at Lavi, "I'm assuming you forgot yours Mr. Photo-Freak."

"Eh, unfortunately yeah," the Baka-Usagi laughed out, this time a little nervously, "don't wanna waste all my film all in one sitting, after all. That's one thing I hafta buy myself."

"Ooh yeah that's right!" Road immediately butted in, "You two're roommates!" She had mentioned this earlier—or yesterday, back at Cross's Diner, so _why _she was acting like it was a sudden revelation I had no idea. But regardless of what I thought she continued, "What do you two pay for? I mean—who pays for what? It was originally your apartment, wasn't it?" she was looking at me when she asked that question so I answered.

"Yes. I originally bought it, but since it's closer to the University we both go to, it made more sense for Lavi to move in."

"So do you, like, pay for the expenses?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "Most is…already paid off. My parents were friends of the ones who own the building, so what isn't paid off is already set aside in monthly payments."

"Ooh! Lucky, lucky!" Road almost pouted, "I wish I could live on my own too."

"But you know the Earl won't let you." Veronica laughed out, "But that is a nice living arrangement," she turned to look at Lavi, "Please tell me you pay for something, though."

"When I have a job I'm forced to." Lavi shrugged, "mostly I've been Jiji's secretary of sorts—so 'e sends me a check at the beginnin' of every month, an' I usually use that ta pay off stuff."

"What do you help pay for?"

"Groceries." I answered before he could even open his mouth, "You eat more than I _ever _will."

"An' you'd _starve_ if I didn't!" He retaliated instantly, "Or you'd be forced to live off fried rice for a week."

"I _like_ fried rice." For some reason I suddenly felt like a little kid complaining to their mother about not wanting to eat their vegetables.

"I think even _you'd_ get sick of it after a while." He pointed it out in an almost mother-henish sort of way, "'sides it isn't exactly the healthiest thing on the menu."

"And junk food is?" I jabbed back, smirking inwardly as he flinched. Before he could redeem himself, though, the waitress appeared again.

"You're drinks are here!" She hummed, holding a trey expertly like they all somehow did, before setting our drinks in front of us. It took some passing around, but eventually each person had the drink they had ordered. Tyki thanked her graciously—again making her blush—before she was sent back through the crowd.

Right when she left Road spoke up, "Y'know I'm going to have to try some of yours—_Tyki_!"

Tyki rolled his eyes and swirled his straw in an almost elegant manner, "Children shouldn't consume alcohol." He chided almost sarcastically.

"I'm a _teenager_!" she fumed back, "An' besides! I'm only two years younger than these two!" She jerked her head at me and then at Lavi, "and _they_ get to have alcohol without being refused!"

"Because they are _adults_. You will be too when you turn eighteen, though," Tyki narrowed his eyes and smirked humorously across the table at her, "the thought really _is_ amusing. What kind of adult would you turn out to be?"

"An' I stay by my earlier statement,"—_'What earlier statement?'_ my mind couldn't help but ask—"nothing _ever_ sounds good when it comes from you. It's all in your looks."

Tyki made a face at that and took a sip of his drink, "Yes, yes, and the parties, and the this, and the that," he waved his hand dismissively, "But really it's an interesting prospect."

Suddenly an oddly dreamy look crossed over Road's face, "Oh no," she let out an equally dreamy sigh, "what would be interesting is what _Allen_ would look like as an adult. I mean, he's already hot enough now but in a few years…" she trailed off, squeaking slightly before popping her lollipop back in her mouth.

'_The beansprout in a few years? Hell no,' _I grimaced at the thought, _'He'll probably be just as short and just as goddammit annoying.' _Not that I wanted to think too much about it.

"You really _are_ obsessed with him, aren't you?" Tyki murmured, a slightly shocked grin combing disturbingly over his lips.

"It's _not_ called obsessed!" She immediately shot back, jerking her lollipop out of her mouth, "It's called _l-o-ve_!"

"Since when was 'love' a three syllable word?"

"Since I made it one—Tyki-baka!" She attempted to chuck her lollipop at him but decided against it at the last minute. If she had it could've possibly hit an innocent bystander. Not that I cared. But then the girls next words—as she got up and headed back towards the bathroom—left the table awkward and silent.

"I can't believe you'd say that anyway? Or is _that_ the only reason you like Lavi?"

-- (Lavi's POV _again _XD) --

She just _had_ to go and say that. Really. An' now Kanda was sitting there, next to me, with this confused expression his face as he tried to figure out what the _hell_ she meant. I just hoped he didn't take it the wrong way. Because—_hell_ it sounded like he meant _that_.

"And what ever does she mean by that." Tyki just made it worse by opening his damn mouth. Realization flashed across Kanda's face—and hell, Tyki thought that was _amusing_, "Yes—what _does_ she mean by that she repeated."

"Something perverted, probably." I flinched at Veronica's words, but it didn't sound like she meant them, "Or maybe something else—probably something else." Her eyes narrowed as she stared at Tyki, and I _knew_ she hadn't meant the words.

But Kanda didn't get it. He just sat there with a slightly dumbfounded expression on his face before he carefully tucked it away behind a blank—uncaring—mask. Didn't fool me in an instant.

"Oh, well you never know with her." Tyki hummed, a disturbing grin—that he probably _didn't _need, and always meant something bad'd happen—flitting over his lips, "We wouldn't want to give anyone the wrong idea, would we?"

Again he was direction that to Kanda, and again Kanda wasn't answering—he wasn't saying anything at _all_. That almost worried me, so this time _I _spoke up, "Kanda? Hey—you okay?"

He made some sort of 'huff' noise before he pushed his chair back and abruptly stood up, mumbling, "Bathroom." I caught his expression during that time—and it made me worry even more, with how blank it was.

This really bothered him. Dammit.

Without thinking I rose from my chair as well. I felt Tyki stiffen next to me and ask, "Where are you going?" But I didn't answer. Kanda could be fast when he needed to be—and I did _not_ want him to lock the damn bathroom door—_'Like I did.'_—

Damn that sounded so immature now.

Thankfully Kanda was noticeable through the crowd—not many guys had long wavy hair after all—and I managed to catch up to him quickly. But by this time he was already near the bathroom, and his mask was slipping. Badly. Hell, if this wasn't such a big deal I'd almost be _proud_ that I saw his mask slip so much—to see that I affected him _this much_—but now I felt horrible. And Guilty. And I felt to dirty to try and apologize. He wouldn't listen, not after what just happened.

"Kanda," I hissed out as I watched him place a hand on the bathroom door. He, obviously, didn't listen, and pushed it the rest of the way open before stepping through and roughly closing it behind him.

Immediately I followed, hoping against hoping that—

He really _didn't_ lock the door.

'_Does that mean he actually _wants_ to speak with me?' _I wondered to myself as I pushed the door all the way open and slipped through. For a moment I thought he would've run into one of the stalls—they were empty—but instead he was at the farthest sink just staring at his reflection.

"K—Yuu," I called out again, and he jumped and whipped his head towards me before quickly whipping it back, "Yuu-chan, can you," I paused and rephrased that, "What the hell was with earlier? Why'd—Why'd ya have to get up and run here? What'd Tyki _say_?"

"What did Tyki _say_?" He hissed out, never leaving his eyes from the mirror, "You have to _ask_ me that? It's—"

I shook my head and took a few steps into the room, stopping when I stood right behind him, "I know that." He stiffened even though I knew he saw me coming, "What I'm asking is—ah—_why_ does it bug you so much?" He gave me a half-glare and I quickly added on, "I mean, even _I_ don't know what the hell Road thinks at times. She could've meant—"

"The only thing _I_ know that she could have meant was," He cut me off, finally turning to look at me, "and I thought you said before that you _didn't_ do that. Yet. Even though I know that was probably some lie now."

"It wasn't—" I tried, even though I knew—at least partly—what he was talking about. This was almost exactly like the conversation we had in his car before we got into that crash. Hell, lying was going to make me feel _that much worse _about it, so I coughed, cleared my throat, and tried to laugh it off, "Ah-ha-ha, well I guess…y'caught me there."

I was faintly aware of him turning on the water—and the fact that this was a damn _bathroom_, where others could barge into—but I wasn't aware of the reasons behind this until I felt something cold splatter my face. "Hey!" I yelped, taking a few steps back while he turned the faucet quickly off, "What the hell was _that_ for."

It was a really childish thing to do. Unlike Kanda—unlike _Yuu_—at all.

"You really are intent on just laughing something like that off?" He finally asked me, and I realized that he had used the water as a distraction—he was away from the sink now, "How can you _laugh_ something like that off?"

"Yuu…"

His eyes narrowed, "Don't you dare make me think any less of you than I already have." He was nearing the door now, and he was about to push it open—I had to keep him from leaving. I…_had_ to.

I let out a soft sigh, "Look—that's why I said you shouldn't've come. They," I looked briefly down at my feet, "They don't exactly put things in the…_nicest_ light. Truthfully it's hard to hang around them after a while." He was going to probably ask _why_ I hung out with them in the first place. But that was a question we both knew the answer to, "But I have an obligation to now. So I _can't_ leave—an' if you leave now then—"

"Then what? They'll send someone out to stalk me?" He didn't mean that to be serious, but it…it—

"It wouldn't surprise me if 'e did send someone out. Considering what crowd makes 'emselves known at this time of night." His eyes widened in shock and immediately he dropped his hand to his side.

"They…_he_—I'm assuming Tyki—would…?" I nodded my head, "Then isn't it just as bad?"

"Probably." He hadn't expected me to answer that either—I saw it on his face—or rather, in his _eyes_. This almost made me want to laugh, but I didn't, instead I waited for him to answer.

And he did, about a minute later with an almost awed, "So you didn't just tell me to stay home because…?"

I grinned at him and raised my hand, placing it on the back of my head almost guiltily, "I dunno if you'd want to hear this but—you're a very, ah," I thought for the word, "_treasured_ person to me. I—like hell am I gonna let you do something that's dangerous. An' right now the most dangerous thing you can do is leave." My eyes met his, "I just don't want you to get hurt."

Immediately his eyes flitted down to my arm, "Like you?" I didn't know how much he pieced together—an' truthfully I didn't _really _want to think of it. It wasn't my top priority—and, hell, he probably guessed wrong for all I knew—after all that was his weak point. Reading people. An' if he couldn't read any _normal_ person, then how the hell was he going to get around to reading _me_?

But the fact that he looked worried told me that that little fact _might_ be changing. To appease this worry I shrugged my shoulders and walked towards him, "Yeah, like me." He let out an annoyed growl when my hand found it's way to his head and patted him slightly, "Now let's go back—Road's probably there by now, an' she's probably wondering what 'naughty thing' we could be doing."

Immediately his face turned a slight shade of pink, and he more than shoved the door open, "Well she would be _wrong_ on _anything_ she said."

"Just like she could've meant something else—and most likely _did_ mean something else—when she said what she said earlier." He was a few steps ahead of me, but those words made him glance back over his shoulder at me—damn did he look cute with a blush on his face—for a moment. Just a moment, before he turned around and began to walk again, this time slower…almost like he was waiting for me to catch up.

I couldn't help but smile at that, _'Well it looks like I won.' _I thought to myself, catching up to him and pressing my hand, gently, into the small of his back. He flinched at the contact, but I could tell he didn't know his way around and was, silently, grateful for the help. Not that he'd ever say that.

This was _Yuu_ after all.

What was strange, though, was the fact that he pressed even harder against my hand the closer we got to the table—and when I actually _concentrated_ and looked up—I saw what caught his interest.

Sitting there—or rather, one was standing, but the other was sitting on the table top—were the two I couldn't help but remember from last time. They were hard to miss—apparently they were twins, or at least considered themselves to be—with the outfits that they wore. Hell, they were both guys—as far as I knew—but they made it obvious what their orientation was.

The one sitting—with his blond hair, hip-hugger—_leather_—pants that laced up the side, and that weird feather boa thing around his neck…

And the one standing, who probably came from England—or somewhere overseas—wore shorts that were definitely too short, and a shirt that definitely rode up more than it needed to…

The picture suddenly reminded me of when I asked Jiji what the difference between a slut and a whore was. His answer: A Whore got paid, and a slut didn't…

Followed by a whack over the head and an accusing glance. I had gotten into some of the 'adult' books Snake-san, or—more likely—Turtle-san**(1)**, had left at the house. I grimaced at the thought—_'For an old man, Jiji sure could hit hard…' _and he still could, and he probably would if he ever found out—

No. He probably already _knew_ about this. Probably guessed after talking to me at the Police station. Dammit.

I let out a silent sigh, _'That's definitely one conversation I'd rather put off for later.' _

Especially now, when I had more important things to worry about—like when those two, the slut and the whore, turned to stare at us. The whore—or rather,_ Devit_—or was it _David_?—smiled first. He obviously remembered me, "Ah-ah-aaah, so it's the Rabbit of the family, eh?" He asked out loud, and this, in turn, made the slut—or Jasdero—speak up—

"Y'mean from…? Ooh!" He slid off the table and grinned, "If we knew you were here—"

"Then we would've been here before."

"But no one wants you here." Tyki pointed out, and I knew from the irritated sound of his voice that they head done _something_ to tick him off again.

"And like I said before," Veronica trailed in after him, "They'd find us anyway. Wouldn't you?" She smiled welcoming to the both of them, and they immediately smiled back, "The party'll definitely get livelier after this, no?" and then she let out a startling laugh—

And I knew that that was probably the _last_ thing I wanted—to get livelier—to have _this_ get livelier.

But was there anything I could do? Hell no. It wasn't my decision. In fact—the only thing I could _try_ to control was how close they got to Kanda, and from the looks of it—Kanda, even closer to me now, probably on instinct—and the other two, staring at him like he was something interesting to eat—I knew he wouldn't mind in the least.

Regardless of that, though, I had to speak—to give my damn approval, so I did with the most realistic smile I could muster, and said, "Sounds like fun."

--

**(1)-Snake-san and Turtle-san (or rather Slang-san and Shildpad-san, as their names translate in Dutch…I believe?) are two members of the Bookman Clan that I created. I'm sure everyone has heard of the 'Turtle-Snake' story as well…that should tell you about their personalities. Though they won't be appearing in this fanfic (I don't think? That COULD change) here's some important info: Turtle-san is the head of the Bookman Clan and Snake-san is an African-American woman traveling in Africa at the moment. Though if I do end up writing an 'in-time line' story, expect (at least) these two to show up. **

**An' since this kinda goes along with that, I'll say it here: THANKS SO MUCH for those who reviewed for Burning (my Lavi-centric oneshot)! –hugs-  
**

**Now on with the regular end notes: I wanted to wrap up the whole 'Dancing Pineapple' arch (if y'wanna call it that) in this chapter (I also wanted to write enough pages where I could evenly end the next chapter on page 100). But then Devit and Jasdero begged for an appearance, so it will probably go on for another chapter or two. –doesn't know- Also, with me being sick, and there being HUGE computer issues, this is obviously out late—and I'm super sorry for that . -bows head- but I HAVE been working on it, and like I said at the beginning, I'm happy what I came out with. **

**As always, Questions, Comments, Loved it? Have CC? Send it via REVIEW! (fun fact: next reviewer will be my 50****th****!) –is happy about that- **

**So until the next chapter**

**-Harmony283 **


	9. You're an Idiot

**Chapter Eight's finally here—and coincidentally eight is my favorite number. Not that that has anything to do with why this chapter's different than the others. It just fell in place like that (that and I like to be unexpected XD). Basically this chapter shows what's happening with Allen and Lenalee, and the others at Cross's Diner. Why? Because it's needed for later on, and would be **_**very **_**confusing (more so than normal) if I left it out. That and I wanted to try my hand at writing Allen—and I'm not too sure I did too well. Though I will say—be happy, I probably won't **_**ever **_**update this quickly. Ever. But I did. So yeah, anyway—thanks so much for all the reviews! I truly do appreciate every single one of them! –bows head- **

**Note: Just a little heads up, there're more than two pairings hinted at in this (two should be obvious) but, just for curiosities sake, can anyone guess the third one? Hint: The first DGM fic I EVER read (or maybe it was the second?) had this pairing in it. It was also the only one of it's kind at the time. **

**Note2: This chapter was written to a random violin song I found on Youtube. The title of the AMV/video is: Aphex Twin-Outside Kick Ass (Violin Solo) if anyone wants to look it up. It's...very interesting -blinks- **

**--**

I tried to ignore it. Really I did. It wasn't that I was dense—or naïve—or whatever word anyone else threw at me. I knew it wouldn't work, and that was that. Besides—she had an older brother I had known since _forever_, and he wouldn't allow it anyway.

I let out a sigh and untied the small bow that held my apron on. _'Who am I kidding? Those are just excuses.' _I stared at my reflection in the small mirror, _'I just…I just know it'll hurt her no matter what I say.' _

But I had to say something—she still didn't know. She still…she still thought she had a chance—that this was some fluke—that for some reason my judgment was clouded—that _all guys_ _went through this phase. _It hurt that she even put me on the level of all the other guys in our class. _They_ deserved it, maybe, but _me_?

'_It just won't work.' _I hung my apron up on the hook, and grabbed my book-bag from off the chair. Then I turned back to look at my reflection, and repeated, "It won't work."

Suddenly the door slammed and I knew—for better or worse—that I wasn't alone. I turned my head to the side, so that I could see—through the mirror—that it was, and…and…it was her.

"Allen?" She called out—she hadn't seen me yet—and I knew she was looking for me. She'd see me in a second and if I didn't say anything then—

I took a deep breath and called out, "Yeah?" In a second her expression changed from worry, to happiness, then to sadness—the sadness she tried to hide whenever I was around. But failed miserably in the end, "What is it Lenalee?" I asked, though no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get my legs to move. I couldn't turn around to see her like I wanted to.

"Um," she noticed—_of course she'd notice_—and shifted, uncomfortably, "are you…?"

"Hm?" I glanced away from the mirror when I saw her begin to untie her apron—yeah she had the uniform on underneath—I was still wearing _mine_—but still. "Is something wrong? You sound worried."

Wait. Why did I say that again?

An awkward silence filled the room and didn't leave until—by chance—I glanced back at the mirror, and suddenly there she was, standing a few feet away with a sad expression her face—her hair, down, practically to her back now. She really _was_ cute. "I was just, um, _wondering_," she started, and I smiled at her through the mirror, "could we…could we walk home together tonight?"

"Ah?" This time I did turn to face her, "You mean Komui already left?" She shook her head, "Then—I mean—it's dangerous for a woman to be out this late at night, especially on a busy street, he'll freak if we leave beforehand."

"He _trusts you_." I didn't want to hear the emphasis on those words, but I had, and they were there, and I knew what she was trying to say. And I hated it because I knew this conversation was going to go in that direction—_What was I going to say? _Or, no, more like _'What CAN I say?' _She wouldn't understand it. Why we couldn't—

"I…yeah I guess he would," my voice cracked as I answered her, "But—even Cross'd drive _me_ home if it got this late so…I-I don't see how it'd be safe for us to go home together."

"You don't want to?" she sounded like a sad puppy that had just gotten kicked.

"No!" I quickly held my hands up in defeat, "It's not that—it's just—_impractical._ What if something happened to you? Or me? Komui would have a fit and he'd probably never let me talk to you again."

"He can't keep me from talking to you." She didn't even allow a second to think over what I had said, "We see each other at school all the time—and at work as well."

"But he works here too." I pointed out, "And really—I…even _I_ don't feel safe walking on the edge of a street this late at night, I wouldn't dream of putting _you_ in trouble as well—you're like a sister to me."

"A…sister." She repeated dully, and again I had to wonder if I had done the right thing. With her next words I knew I probably had—if I ever wanted to set things straight, "Is that…all you see me as?"

I slowly, tentatively, smiled, "Of course. I—that's one thing that will never change. You'll always be the sister I never had."

"But," she paused for a moment, bangs falling in front of her eyes, "That's…not what—" her voice wavered and I knew she was going to probably run off crying soon. I didn't want that—and—and she _still_ didn't quite get it. I mean, I _knew_ already that I couldn't snuff out her feelings for me completely—_'That would be too cruel'_—but I had to try…try _something_.

"Lenalee." Her shoulders jerked and she quickly glanced up at me through her bangs. I tried to smile again, but I failed, "That's not what you want—is it?" She shook her head and I closed my eyes, "Then I guess…I have the right to ask what you _do _want from me."

"I…I want…I want you to at least _care_ for me in the…the same way I care for you." I heard her take a few steps toward me before stopping.

But I didn't once open my eyes, "How do you feel about me, then?" I questioned, "If you're willing to tell me." I added on before falling silent again.

"I thought it was obvious." Yes, she _was_ very close to me now, "I…I _love_ you, Allen. I…I probably always _have_ ever since…ever since I knew what this emotion _was_." Her voice was thick and I knew she was trying hard not to let tears fall, "I thought you felt the same way but I-I guess I was wrong."

I opened my eyes slowly at this, and tried my best to meet her gaze, "I'm glad for your feelings, and I'm sorry that I misled you into thinking I felt the same." I managed to smile, but it was a sad attempt, "I'll admit I didn't realize anything until Lavi pointed it out once, a few months ago, and that's my own fault. But I really care for Road,"

"So you won't break up with her." She cut me off, sadness—anger—jealousy all apparent in her voice, "You love her and won't break up with her. I understand."

"I—" honestly, what was I supposed to say to that? I didn't consider it love. No. It wasn't that far yet. I knew for Road it probably was—she could be…_obsessive…_at times—but for me, I _had_ to wait.

Thankfully, though, I didn't _have_ to say a word about it. My cell phone rang before I could. After a second trying to fish it out of my backpack, I flipped it open and immediately I recognized the number.

It was Road.

Instantly I answered it, "Hello?"

_"Allen!" _I had to hold the phone away from my ear as she squealed, _"I was so worried when you didn't answer the first time I called you! Don't tell me you're still at work?" _

I let out a laugh and tried hard not to let Lenalee's deflated expression bug me, "Yeah I still am. Just got off, actually—what's up?"

"_Oh I'll tell you what's up!" _She didn't sound too happy and I could only guess at why so I kept silent and allowed her to continue, _"Tyki's being a meanie again! You won't believe what he said!"_"What'd he say?"

"_He said I was too obsessive over you!" _I didn't want to admit it—but he was probably right.

Instead, though, I answered back, "Really? Why? Did you say anything?"

There was silence for a moment, as she probably contemplated on what to say next—what to say to make Tyki look like a _really, really_ bad guy—and I felt my heart almost sink as Lenalee's expression turned from deflated, to completely flat—and her eyes—she was looking at me _right in the eyes_—and I knew something was wrong.

"_All I was saying was that it'd be cool to see how you'd look when you got older!" _I blinked at her lackluster response. It hadn't been what I was expecting it to be. It almost made me blush, _"That's not bad, is it? I mean—I _do_ plan to keep dating you an' all—but wasn't that just mean?!" _

'_More like rude.' _But I didn't say that out loud, "Well…ah…I don't know—it's not really something you _can_ know," I could tell Lenalee was suddenly interested in the conversation, "But I don't see any problems with you thinking that. It's…like what would _you_ look like when _you_ got older, so,"

I heard her laugh on the other end, _"You're talking weird again, Allen." _I could tell then that, in some weird sort of way that she always seemed to have, she _knew_—she knew that Lenalee was standing across from me, _"Is Lenalee there?" _She questioned a second later.

Hesitantly I answered back, "Yeah, she is."

"_Really? So I'm guessing she got off at the same time—but that's great!" _She didn't sound mad at all. In fact it was almost like she thought of it as a _good_ thing, _"Can I talk with her for a sec?" _

I looked over at Lenalee, who stared unblinkingly back, before agreeing, "Yeah sure, here she is." I handed the phone off and prayed that that was one thing Road wouldn't be able to notice. If I made Lenalee cry—then she'd ask _why_ and, well, I had never _seen_ her get jealous before but—

"Hello?" Lenalee practically whispered in response, before realization hit her, "Road? Ah—no—no! I'm fine," It looked like she was trying to force a neutral expression her face, "Just, I guess, brother's being a bit unfair." Road said something and I saw a smile, slow and hesitant, cross over her lips, "Yes…well, I wanted to walk home and—it's late." Road said something else and immediately her expression went to pained, even though her voice went in the direct opposite direction, "You think so? I didn't ask yet," she looked over at me and pulled the phone away from her ear, "She asked if you could walk me home."

Oh.

I managed to shrug my shoulders, "Ah—Cross wants me to wait here as well—with that whole accident and everything…"

"He said Cross wants him to wait," she told Road, but with a hint of sadness in her voice, "It's dangerous—I'm sure you've heard about the accident…" she trailed off as Road went into a mini-tangent—most likely, since her father knew more about it than we did—and then, suddenly, Lenalee's expression turned to shock, "What? You mean—they were a part of it? Are they—are they okay? I mean—" There was another brief pause and her face relaxed, only to be replaced by confusion a second later, "They're…with you? Why? I mean—" There was another, even longer pause, and her eyes met mine. The shocked look hadn't left them, but the question she had asked Road was now aimed at me.

"What?" I asked, "What'd she say?"

Lenalee just shook her head and mouthed the word, "Later" to me before responding to something Road had said, "So you're at the Dancing Pineapple? _Now_? But it's so late!" I heard a distinct and loud laugh on the other end—that made her jerk the phone away from her ear—followed by unintelligible murmurs that quickly lowered until I couldn't make out anything but a dull hum.

"I…I see," whatever she had said, though, made Lenalee's expression change from the surprise, to shock, back to surprise, and then to some other gentle emotion mixed with worry, "That's not like…not like _Kanda_ at least. Do you know why he's…?" Road cut her off quickly, and Lenalee covered her mouth with her free hand, "Ah, so…wait—they know each other?" another short pause, "From how he acted before—" she tried to complete one sentence but again Road cut her off, "—I see…well that's—tell them hi for me then." She finally finished before adding on, "Here's Allen." She then practically tossed the phone at me before saying, "I'm going to go tell my brother the news—I'll be right back."

A few seconds later and the door was swinging shut,_ "She's gone isn't she?" _Road suddenly—ominously—asked from the other line.

"Ah—she just left. What'd you tell her?"

"_Oh just that Kanda and Lavi were in that horrible car wreck earlier," _she stated a little too easily—as she always did with morbid things—before adding on, _"They're here too. So they're fine." _

I didn't even get a chance to be _shocked_ at the news. "Wh-what?"

"_If you want to hear more about it then why don't you come over?" _She asked again, suddenly sounding giddy, _"We're all at the Dancing Pineapple—" _There was a strange pause, and the sound of a door opening, before she continued, _"—Well, I mean, I'm in it too, but I'm outside. Where it's _not_ noisy." _

"Why are you somewhere like that this late at night?" I couldn't help but wonder. That…that wasn't the _best_ place for someone to hang out—what if—what if—

"_Don't worry, Tyki's here, an' so's Lulubell—I'm sure you've met her. An' the twins are here as well, along with Veronica." _

"Veronica?"

_"Extended family, of sorts." _She sounded extremely happy about it too, _"I'm so glad she could make it again!" _

"Again?"

This made her laugh, _"Oh! Right, right, I forget to tell you! I was here last night as well—it was so much fun!"_

"Why?" Why was it that I could only ask one word questions? Not that she'd let me get much else out but—

"_Because—oh, are you worried?" _She lowered her voice, and almost sounded apologetic.

"Of course I am!" I quickly answered, "That's a Restaurant downtown, isn't it?"

"_Bar."_ She corrected, _"It's a bar, but yes its downtown."_

"You shouldn't be there at this time of night!" For some reason I felt like I was scolding someone younger than me, "What if something happens?"

For a moment there was a pause, and then a sigh, _"It's really not that big of a deal. I can protect myself Y'know! Besides, there're Police Cars touring a ton as well—lots of people _can_ be idiotic this time of night." _

"Which is _why_ I'm asking you why you're there!" I repeated, trying hard not to raise my voice, "Heck—I'm not downtown but even _Cross_ doesn't want me to go downtown."

"_Really?" _This seemed to surprise her, _"Seems to me like he'd be the kind of person to come here often. I mean—Lavi apparently comes here a lot with Tyki, an' you'd think they're both a little better than this place." _

Wait…

"Lavi's there?"

"_Yup! Kanda too! Though I'm not too sure why _he's_ here buuuut," _she let out a giggle, _"It's sweet." _

I blinked, "What's sweet?"

Her giggle turned to a soft chuckle, _"Oh, don't worry if you don't get it. So—y'wanna ask Cross if he'll drop you off here? The more the merrier, right?" _

A flashback of the last time I had gone drinking with Cross flashed through my head, "Ah…no…I think I'll pass." I shuddered at the thought and _vainly_ tried to push the images—of him, leaning on some random woman—and then me, having to drag his drunken self through the door—and then again later when—when—

I gulped loudly, "D-Definitely no."

There was a lengthy pause on the other end before, almost accusingly—but mockingly at the same time—Road asked, _"What the hell did he do to you when he was _drunk?"

"Nothing." The response was too quick, and even _I_ was painfully aware of that.

"_Ooh! That's another thing you're going to have to tell me about!"_ I could imagine her now, waving her free arm frantically to the side, like she wanted to fly, _"He's you're guardian, isn't he? He shouldn't exercise that kind of behavior around you!"_

"And yet I _don't_ think that will stop him." I muttered more to myself than to her, but of course, she heard it anyway.

"_Okay fine then—he doesn't have to come in. Just drop you off. I'll be waiting." _

"He'll smell the alcohol, though." I pointed out, grimacing as even more images assaulted me—this time of him forcing me to clean up the huge mess he had made once—after he had gone on a drinking binge. All the…wine bottles and the _smell_. Egh.

"_He's that addicted?" _

I tried hard not to laugh at that, "I think everyone in town knows that, except you."

"_Don't blame the new person!" _She whined, _"But even so—can't you, y'know, force him not to go in? Beg? _Something?" She paused for a moment, _"Though If you do beg, I'd want to see it." _

I blinked, "See it? Why?"

"_Because! It'd be cute!" _She replied, her voice going into 'sing-song' mode.

At times like this I really wondered what her definition of _cute_ was. "I don't want to know, do I?"

"_Know what?"_ She asked innocently back, even though she knew, that I knew, how twisted her perceptions of certain things could be, _"I'd just want a few pictures. Might even give one to Lenalee." _

Before I could stop myself, the words were out of my mouth, "You two really are getting close, aren't you?"

I could tell I shouldn't've said it—or at least she was suspicious now—when she didn't answer me back right away. When she did, though, she sounded confused, _"Eh? You mean we shouldn't be?" _

"N-No…I didn't mean it like that." It was a feeble reply and I already knew she could see through it easily.

"_Ooh! Don't tell me you two got in a fight! Fights between friends are no fun! What happened? Or, wait, is she back?" _

"N-No."

"_Good—well then spill." _

"But—" for some reason it felt wrong to—to say—because if I did then—

And, almost creepily, she seemed to _get it_, _"Well if you don't wanna tell me now—just know I don't forget easily." _

"And you'll ask me about it later." I finished, "I know."

"_Will you tell me later, then?" _

I smiled in relief, "Yeah I will."

"_Well then, to make up for not telling me now—you _have_ to make Cross drop you off here." _

I flinched, "But I just said—"

"_Then spill." _

I sighed in defeat, "Fine, I'll ask him. Just expect him to tag along if he says yes."

"_As I said before—the more the merrier." _She practically sang back, _"Hear from you in a few! An' be careful on the way here!" _

I smiled at the concern, "Don't worry, I will be. See you in a few." Then I heard the familiar 'click' of one line hanging up, and shut my phone. I stuffed it in my backpack again, before slinging it back over my shoulder and heading out of the backroom.

Maybe then was when the warning signs should've gone off in my head—or maybe even _before_ that, when I saw a crumpled can of beer on the counter—but I did hear the laughter from one floor up. Cross had, in the short period of time—which was probably closer to twenty minutes—I had been talking to Road, invited friends over.

I didn't want to _know_ what kind of friends they were.

And Lenalee had gone up there to speak with her brother.

Oh. Crap.

I quickened my pace to the stairs and hurried up them before pushing slightly on the door. Like always, it was open, and immediately I stepped through. There, sitting around a fold-up table, was Cross, Komui, a woman with deep skin and overly curly hair, and Lenalee, looking awkward and uncomfortable. Her eyes were the first to see me and immediately she stood.

The other three didn't seem to even realize her movement, and Cross _definitely_ didn't notice when he practically shouted, "You're shit at this game, Tash."

The woman snorted, "Well _excuse_ me for not ever having played such a strange game." Her voice was thickly accented and I almost couldn't understand her. She was also the second person to notice me, her chocolate brown eyes—too dark, and…and _strange_ in this light—locking with my own, "Oh but I see your…boy is here."

Komui and Cross immediately looked in my direction—Komui trying to stand, and Cross trying as well, but failing and giving up in an instant.

"Idiot," Cross beckoned me over, and, unwillingly, I came, "Put the damn book bag down first—dipshit." Lenalee flinched at the terminology, but I just complied—quickly sliding the book bag off my shoulder before continuing my path towards him.

When I finally reached him—I could _smell_ the alcohol on his breath and it—it…made me sick, "What is it?" I ground out half in fear—and half in forced politeness that I knew would have consequences if I didn't have.

"Sit." I sat, and he mockingly pet my head, "Good boy. Tash," he turned to the woman again, "This is Allen—ain't my son, or even damn well related," he patted me harshly on the back, "But 'e's 'im an' I'm in charge of 'im so."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." It was strange how she wasn't drunk at all, and yet she'd want to be around him. But she _seemed_ respectful enough. She even extended her hand to shake my own, "My name is Tasha—Tasha Loan. I've just arrived here from overseas to meet your…_Guardian_." I didn't like the fact that she stressed the word.

But I quickly clasped her hand in my own, "It's nice to meet you, my name's Allen Walker. I hope you, ah, enjoy your stay here."

She smiled almost ruefully at this, "I can already tell you I've had my troubles. A—_car accident_—I believe?—this morning being the first of the batch." Then, suddenly, her eyes half lidded and—and the worry was back, "It's strange, you know—the poor girl who was hit. I could have _sworn_ she looked familiar. Like I had seen her the day before, or something. The poor thing. Her brother looked heartbroken when we saw him at the station."

It was like she didn't care. I was hoping it was just my imagination, but her smile remained the same—plastic, unmoving, like she was _testing out_ the emotion instead of actually feeling it.

It made my stomach drop in the knowing truth that: I was going to be here a while. And I wasn't going to like it.

--(Kanda's POV)--

Every two minutes. She would check her cell phone _every_ two minutes. Why I noticed this—I didn't know. Why the _hell_ I was even here anymore—I didn't know that either. But it was awkward and uncomfortable, and she seemed to be the only one doing something relatively normal.

Another two minutes. She glanced down at it, then quickly jerked her head up. Her expression didn't change at all—I doubted it would—but _why _was she checking the time?

"You know it's not nice to stare." The voice jolted me, and I realized that she realized that she had noticed me staring.

I let out a sigh and turned away, "Hnn."

"It doesn't make it any better that you try to deny it." She pointed out slowly, "Just makes it all the more noticeable."

I shrugged my shoulders, "Whatever."

"No really, I'm serious." She glanced down at her cell phone again—this time with just a one minute difference, "I'd ask why but—is it that obvious?"

I took a sip out of my drink and faintly nodded my head.

She sighed softly, "I knew it. Must be if _you're_ noticing it." I didn't want to know what she meant by that. And she knew it, "You…"

But she couldn't get very far before Lulubell placed a hand on her shoulder and asked, "What's wrong?" she glanced at Tyki—who was paying more attention to Jasdero—"You've been staring at your phone the entire time."

This brought out another sigh from the girl, and she actually seemed willing to _tell_ her, "Oh, just waiting for someone to call." Or maybe not.

"Oh? Who?" I tensed suddenly as Devit suddenly jumped into the conversation.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Jasdero immediately agreed, leaning against Lulubell, "Who! Who?"

"Yes, who?" This time it was Tyki, "Or did you call your father?" He sounded…worried?

"Oh—no, no," She immediately waved off the worry, "I called Allen."

_'She called the Beansprout?' _

"Why?" to my surprise Lavi asked the _exact_ same thing at the _exact_ same time. But his expression wasn't shocked—it was…nothing? He was staring across the table at Road with a completely blank expression on his face. And I couldn't tell—what he was thinking. Immediately it unnerved me. He never put on that expression—or at least I had never _seen_ it—with so many people around. Not that seeing it once could judge all the other times he probably used it. Regardless, it was…so unlike him—his usual cheerful façade dropped in an instant—it was hard to believe he could do something like that.

'_And I tried to mimic it.' _I shoved the thought—and the disgusted feelings that went with it—away roughly.

I was just in time to hear Road's answer, "I'm guessing…that's not a good thing?" She eyed us both for a moment, before adding on, "Why?"

That didn't make much sense, but thankfully I wasn't the one who answered her. But then. Maybe. I should have been _worried_ that it wasn't mean that answered her. Especially when it was Lavi.

"It's not like it's the end of the world, but, I don't think he'd like being here." He tried to explain and, oddly enough, she seemed to actually listen.

But she wasn't happy about it, "Oh he said Cross'd drop him off—and that he'd call back after he got an answer from him." She looked down at her phone again, "That means he'd call even if he said no." Her frown deepened, "I didn't think it'd take so long to get a 'yes' or 'no'."

"Well it _is_ Cross." Suddenly the cold—blank—demeanor was gone, replaced by reassurance, "He does kinda…take his time. Doesn't he?" He looked to me like I _really_ knew Cross that much better than him.

"How should I know? He's…_Cross_. Gambler, bastard, anything else you can possibly think of—"

"And Allen lives with him." Road actually seemed surprised by that, "I…should ask him more about it sometime."

"I bet it's a story he's willing to tell." I couldn't hide the sarcasm in my voice—it was the truth.

"Kanda." Lavi's tone was warning—like he really thought I'd say more on the subject, "That's not for you to decide."

"I know—and I don't _want_ to decide it. He'll get it thrown in his face eventually." For a moment Lavi just stared at me, unblinking, "What?"

"Maybe you're right." He hesitantly agreed.

"That sort of thing _isn't_ something that can be kept to oneself for a long period of time," Tyki almost immediately agreed with him, his hand slipping under the table again—making Lavi flinch. "I do hope he tells you about it." All Road could do in response was nod her head.

"Ooh! Ooh! And after he tells you—" Jasdero started, not seeming to get how—well it wasn't damn important to _me_ what the hell the Beansprout hid, but it _was_ important to everyone else at the damn table. Or at least they decided to make it their business.

"Then you'll tell _us_ right?" Devit finished for him, giving him a slight scowl before continuing in a more—_thoughtful_?—manner, "After all—it'd be hell if it was y'know, _really bad._"

"I…hope it's not too, too serious." She sounded so completely deflated—_'Does she really like him that much?—_No, that was a stupid question. And it wasn't any of my business. I didn't care, after all. "But now I'm getting worried." She let out a soft sigh and held her cell phone up, "It's been like—fifteen minutes already."

"Maybe he needs lots of convincing." Veronica said with a bored shrug, "I've heard of people like that—besides, _think about it_. Is it really practical to ask him to come here?"

For a moment I thought Road would get angry but, oddly, she didn't, "I don't see why not." Instead she pouted, "We've hung out before this late at night!"

"But not at a bar." Tyki added on.

"Shut up—Tyki-baka!"

"Hnn," I couldn't help but notice Lavi flinching again and taking another sip out of his drink. Something about the way he did it though…seemed almost like he was trying to distract himself.

I didn't want to think of why.

"Seriously—he needs to _call_." Road started to whine again—dragging my attention back to her, "I'm _so_ worried!"

"An' you still expect him to say he'll be able to come?" Veronica asked, twirling her straw, eyes flicking from Lavi, to Tyki, then to Road in the span of a few seconds—_'Why am I noticing that?'—_"Because I still say he won't be able to."

"And I say he _will_."

"Well then that definitely tells us something's not quite right." She practically laughed, "I mean—what Guardian—that's what Cross is, right?" I found myself giving a stiff nod since Lavi seemed too…distracted. "Well—what guardian would drop the kid they're the guardian of in front of a bar this late at night? Yeah the guy loves to drink—but he was made his guardian for a _reason_ right? Allen's parents obviously thought he could take good enough care of him."

"He only had a father before," Again I found myself answering even though he had probably told Lavi just as much.

"No mother?"

I shook my head, shooting a glance at Lavi, whose face had paled considerably, like he was trying hard not to think of something.

"That's…interesting." Tyki jolted for a second as she said that, and he shot her a glare, "But—you'd think he'd choose someone who'd do well, right? That he trusted?"

"All I know," Finally Lavi was joining in, "is that they were good friends before his father died—an' so the custody naturally fell to him, or something."

"It was already planned?"

"I think."

I hadn't known that. _'Not that I care,'_ I snorted softly, "Figures, had no say in it, did he?"

Lavi gave me a strange look before nodding his head, "Nah he didn't. Surprised you care though."

"I don't. It just…doesn't surprise me. The Beansprout doesn't really seem like the type to know what to do in a situation like that."

Lavi's eyes narrowed, "True. He was just a kid—younger than," he paused, "of course he wouldn't have a say."

"So he'd have to go along with it." I didn't know why I had just said that, but realization nearly _crashed_ over Road's expression.

"Oh _shit_;" she didn't even try to mask her language, "Should I really call him? What if—what if something _happens_?"

"I don't think it will. Cross isn't that stupid—I'm sure Lenalee's there too." Again Lavi tried to play the comforting role, "I heard they always work late today, so it makes sense."

"Ooh—but we have _school_ in the morning—oh I'm so going to bug him about this if he doesn't call!"

'_If he even goes in tomorrow.' _But I shoved that thought away. It unnerved me though—it was the first time the brats living arrangements were brought up—and Lavi seemed equally as worried as Road did. _Hell _he'd probably even ask him to sleep over—or something stupid, like that.

'_Wait.' _

"It's none of my business," I quickly broke in to her mini panic attack, "But you're probably over analyzing this. It…_is_ Cross after all."

Lavi looked like he wanted to mention something—maybe tease me about why the hell I was butting in—saying I didn't _care _when I was actually—at least to them—trying to make the girl feel better. I probably had it coming to me anyway. But I really didn't care. If the Beansprout arrived here then that meant having to explain why _we_ were here. I had no guilty conscience about it, but Lavi—Lavi definitely did.

The baka-Usagi.

"But to let him not even _call_?" My words didn't seem to calm her down at all, "Do I—do I need one of you to dammit _drive_ me over there?"

"You might not like what you see." Devit pointed out, "its best ta wait for the call."

"But what if he _doesn't_?"

"Calm down, Road," Lulubell murmured from next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure he's fine."

"In fact," Veronica leaned over the table slightly, "He might even call—" she paused for a moment—probably just for effect—before continuing, "Now."

And not even a split second later—the phone _rang_.

Road, Jasdero, Lulubell, and Tyki all gave her strange glances—hell, even I was—that didn't just _happen_. But Lavi and Devit didn't seem that impressed. Almost like they had suspected she'd do something like that.

Devit I could understand. But. _'Does Lavi know her more than I thought?' _the thought, for some reason or another, disturbed me.

"Hello?" Road answered the phone, "Allen? I was wondering when you'd—" There was a pause and then she blinked, dumbly, "Ah, okay…?" She looked from me, then to Lavi, "H-He wants to speak with one of you."

I immediately declined the offer, but Lavi agreed and reached across the table for the phone. She handed it to him reluctantly, with a slightly shocked expression on her face that immediately turned to curious as Lavi spoke, "It's me—what's up?" there was a slight pause, "Yeah I'm good—but you sound like shit." He wasn't being nice at all.

Another pause, slightly longer—the Beansprout was probably trying to explain why the hell he sounded as bad as he obviously did.

However he responded made Lavi laugh—but not in a 'ha-ha' funny, way, more like a strained 'what the _hell_' way, "I-I see…that sucks." He looked over at Road and shrugged his shoulders, "I don't think…well—why didn't you tell her that?" Road flinched, "No-no, I didn't mean—not like _that_." I wasn't sure who he was trying to speak to but after another—lengthy—pause, his voice turned soothing, "Hey, hey, calm down. They'll understand. Hell I understand it well enou—" he was cut off by another round of silence our end, but his expression visibly changed.

From relaxed, soothing, to surprise, to outright shock, "_What_?"

Another pause.

"I…" Lavi exhaled loudly, "That's not…so you probably won't be in tomorrow?" Road's face turned pained as she whispered a quiet _'what?' _Lavi seemed to realize this—without taking any attention away from the conversation—and said, "Y'know she'll probably stalk you when you come back."

There was another pause—and I could've sworn I heard a loud voice in the background. Then Lavi abruptly coughed, "Just here hanging out—I…" He didn't get much more of a chance to explain himself before another pause cut him off.

This time he looked like he was about to laugh, "He's losing? To _who_?" Another, short, pause, and realization hit him, "Wait—that name? Tasha? It sounds familiar." Another pause, "No, I don't think—oh wait, you heard about that?"

Another, long pause, "No, it's fine—I'm cool. Kanda is too." I managed to deduce that they were talking about the accident earlier, "Nah—it's understandable. Hell, if I had a kid I wouldn't let 'em leave after what happened earlier. That intersection can be _hell_."

"And you don't even drive." I muttered out, and he shot me a glare, "Not funny."

Another, confused, pause, "No—no, I was talking to Kanda." Lavi laughed, "He just said somethin' obvious."

_'I did?' _

Lavi shifted one hand a little, as another long pause arose. After a few seconds he looked irritated, "You sure everything's cool there?" he asked, "I mean, besides the obvious." He added on. It almost sounded like he had cut the beansprout off—which he probably had.

After the kid explained himself, Lavi mildly nodded his head, "That doesn't sound too good. Hell—I'm surprised Komui would even _get_ drunk with his sis there. Is Lenalee fine?" Another pause, "I'd ask how the hell she could sleep but I guess that's better than nothing." He raised one hand and fiddled with his head band, humming slightly in response to another round of silent buzzing from the other end.

Another round of seconds later and his hand dropped, almost shocked, to the surface, "Eh? What'd you say?" Another pause, "Why? I mean—" another pause, "_Because_? That doesn't cut it half the time, y'know." He tried to laugh out, but it sounded even more strained than his previous laughs.

There was another—this time almost minute long—pause and for some reason whatever the beansprout said made him extremely…nervous? His hand kept fidgeting, and he even switched hands, so that his right hand—the one closest to me—was free. Then he quickly switched back again, and, in an almost disbelieving voice, said, "Sure—I guess you can. Can't guarantee he'll say anything back but," He turned to me and held the phone out, "He wants to talk to you."

That…honestly…was that why he was so surprised?

"Why?" Lavi shrugged and shoved the phone in my hand. I had no choice now, I put it up to my ear, "What do you want, Moyashi?" I used the Japanese word for his much recognizable—now, anyway—nickname. I really didn't feel like talking with him. Especially now when the one he _should_ be talking to who was staring at me—probably wondering the same exact thing I was.

'_Isn't his girlfriend more important now?'_

The hoarse laugh on the other end jerked me back to reality, _"That's not a very nice thing to say, Kanda."_

His voice really _did_ sound like shit.

"What the hell'd you do? You sound like—" I didn't know how else to describe it without just repeating what Lavi had said, and thankfully I didn't _have_ to –he cut me off.

"_I know, I know, I sound like 'shit'." _He chuckled, but it sounded more like gagging, _"I…obviously I can't…meet you guys wherever you were." _Not that I was worried about that, I didn't _want_ him to come, _"You must be happy about that." _He guessed and I grunted, _"I, uh, it's _really_ impossible now." _

"I'd ask what the hell happened, but," I shrugged my shoulders.

"_The fact you're asking is," _there was silence for a moment—he was probably shaking his head, _"Never mind. Look, I need to hurry but," _another pause, _"I was wondering if you could tell me one thing." _

"Hn? No one's stopping you." I tilted my head a little to the side—now _everyone_ was watching me. It was damn annoying. Not that I cared.

"_Good. Well it's, ah, just tell me: I'm an idiot, aren't I?" _he sounded like he was about to dammit _cry_.

"What the hell did you do?" Honestly—I hated when anyone—_anyone_ cried. It was so damn annoying and irritating and awkward. And everyone was staring at me even _more_ now. When the beansprout didn't answer I asked again, "Moyashi—what'd you _do_?"

He didn't answer. Again. And I realized one thing then: he had hung up.

I let out a loud sigh and held the phone away from my ear, "You're an idiot."

--

**And I made it! This fic is now officially 100 pages long! –smiles happily- Heck, I stayed up till 3AM writing about half of this chapter, and I finished it at around 9PM the next day (Sunday). I'll have to say this is **_**definitely**_** a record. It's a personal plus that I'm actually proud of the outcome XD Had to do a ton of editing, though (which I always have to do when I write something so late at night), but in the end it was worth it—and I hope everyone enjoys this super fast update as well!  
**

**As always, Have Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review! I'd love to hear from you! **

**Till the next chapter**

**-Harmony283 **


	10. What You Could Have

**Chapter Nine rolling it's way here, and, just like the last one, it was fairly easy to write (didn't get it done nearly as fast but I guess I can't expect every chapter to turn out in less than 24 hours after the last update). Anyway, in the chapter, again to lessen later confusion, more of what happened to Allen will be revealed (via his POV) and just like last chapter; at the end you'll hear Kanda, Lavi, and co.'s response to it. **

**Note: Because I'm evil, I'm going to start making people wonder who's the bad guy or not. Why? Because it's fun, and I'd probably end up doing it unintentionally later. Why am I mentioning this here? Read the chapter and find out!**

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It occurred to me that I had bad luck. I knew it did—I always lost at gambling, Cross always beat me, and we always laughed—or cried, or hid—about it later. It's why I learned how to cheat, so, theoretically, I _could_ be lucky.

At least when it came to gambling.

Having my phone die on me, however, was something completely out of my control. _'But did it have to happen_ now_?' _I exhaled loudly, _'They're probably worried as hell…and I can't call them back without—'_

I cringed loudly as a loud shout—not an angry one, by any means, but just as disturbing—echoed off the walls.

That girl, Tasha, had _won_ against Cross—that…that _didn't_ just happen—and now she was—and they were—and Komui wasn't here, and Lenalee wasn't either, and I was left here alone because of that.

And I knew it had been coming the minute I stepped into the room.

I inhaled sharply, trying my best to ignore the jabbing pain, before exhaling again, _'I'm not going to panic. Of course he'd take it out on me. Why wouldn't he? He has no reason _not_ to. I am his—'_

Wait. What am I?

_Guardian_. He is my Guardian. He even _said_ he was that I—the ungrateful prat—was the one he watched out for. Even though, technically, I watched out for him far more than the other way around.

But now, dammit. _Now_ of _all_ the times—I wanted him to be the Guardian he was _supposed_ to be. This was all his fault to begin with.

'_How can I say I want him to take care of me, when it's his fault I'm hurt in the first place?' _I took another breath, my chest hurt, I exhaled.

I didn't need a life's lesson about me. Or the fact that this was—and that was—and maybe everything _else_ was as well—something that had already been predestined to happen. Like that woman had said, and like, maybe, the parents I never knew.

'_And Mana.' _My heart clenched at the name, _'May he rest in peace and never know.' _

Never know I didn't believe him. At least, not that part. I was only a kid—the innocent act, even _now_, was easy. I just pretended to follow every word he said.

'_God will forgive everyone, even those who have sinned.' _

And yet this very same God would say that it was a sin to love a certain kind of person. It was almost hypocritical. Or maybe it was? Wasn't? What? It certainly applied to the situation now.

I breathed in again and shivered, drawing my knees up to my chest and resting my head against them, "I'm so stupid…"

Pounding footsteps on the stairs leading to _that room_ could be heard, and then there, looming in the shadows, was that woman—Tasha. She didn't even see me, here, in the shadows.

'_If she did she'd be too embarrassed.' _My mind couldn't really connect with these thoughts, though—or else I'd be blushing like mad. It was almost painfully obvious what had just happened—between her, and Cross—and what had gotten me thrown down the stairs with a silent promise of—of—

My stomach clenched and I took another ragged breath as I watched her, in the dim light, search the room for me. But she wouldn't find me. I was good at hiding, after all.

Not that there were many places to hide here, in the first place—or at least, it was overly obvious. To prove my point her eyes immediately locked onto the slightly ajar 'Employee's Only' door. She didn't see me—I was looking at her reflection, after all, but she knew that I was there, and she knew that I knew that she knew I was there. If that made sense.

"You know," I wasn't sure who she was speaking to at first—it could've been Cross—but that didn't seem to matter, "in the end you're going to have to choose which side to be on." Then she laughed, "I don't much like your thought process—American's are _so_ confusing, but," she took a step towards the door before hesitating, and turning quickly around, "I must say your morals are just about as 'fucked up'—I believe the words are?—as anyone elses."

I couldn't look at her reflection anymore. Her smile—same, plastic, just like the one she flashed before—seemed all the more surreal. How could she—_not_…not…

Wait. What was I trying to say?

My head hurt.

And she slammed the door a second later.

It felt awful—like it was…splitting…almost.

I inhaled sharply—and my chest hurt too.

I squeezed my legs closer, that didn't seem to help, but…but…

The door banged open. I faintly heard footsteps, but they sounded too far away…and my head hurt too much to pay attention to them.

"Good lord, boy, you look like _shit_." The voice sounded so close. And familiar. And with it's next words I knew who it was, "Seriously—you aren't _dead_ are ya?"

It was Cross. It was the one who caused…caused this…and it hurt—my _head_ hurt, _'But I doubt he'd care.' _

If he did that would be—

Wait. What _would_ that be?

"Oi! Say _somethin'_ here." I felt a sharp jab in my side and resisted the urge to curl up even further, "Oh good—yer still movin'." He jabbed my side again and I coughed, cringing almost a second later at the motion.

Then, oddly, he grabbed my arm and hoisted me up. My eyes couldn't focus—at first—on his face, his red beard, and hair and—

"Who'd ya call?" He asked, and I knew he saw my phone.

"Checking the time." I lied, "It went dead though."

He scoffed at that, "You should remember to charge it, boy." He tugged me up further and suddenly I was aware that I wasn't on the ground anymore—in fact, I was being lifted—

And his breath still smelt of alcohol.

This wouldn't end well. Again.

And suddenly I was reminded of something in one of those old fashioned horror movies. I knew what was going to happen—or the _audience_ knew what was going to happen—but the person on the screen was utterly helpless. Except I _knew_ what was going to happen.

Still didn't change the fact that I couldn't do anything about it. It just made it worse.

He turned swiftly, nearly ramming my head against one of the lockers, and suddenly he flicked a light switch on—one of the bright ones that we usually kept off unless there was an inspection going on.

He sat me down roughly on the counter top and, for a moment, just _stared_ at me.

Then I remembered just how unpredictable he could be.

"You know you could've caught yerself, boy." He remarked, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it, "Would've done ya some good." I didn't say anything as he brought the cigarette up to his lips and puffed out. My nose cringed as he blew the smoke out, "Dammit, boy I thought I taught ya _better_ than that. An' then ya go and tumble down the stairs like I didn't goddammit teach you how to _fall_."

"I was…pushed." I dumbly responded, feeling the room fade, slightly.

"Shit yes, you were." He agreed, puffing out again, "Why the hell'd you come up anyway?"

"Lenalee—"

"For a girl you ain't datin' you sure as hell are worried about her." He took the cigarette and pressed it against the countertop, watching as a bit of smoke wafted from it's tip before crushing it with his palm. He looked back up at me, "What about this Road chick?"

I blinked dully.

"Did you really hit your head _that_ hard?" He wondered, though faintly, I knew he was talking more to himself than me. His eyes narrowed for a moment and he waved his hand in front of my face, "_Did you_?" then he placed a hand, hard and heavy, against my head—

I felt like I was going to throw up.

He pulled his hand away. Then he sighed, "Yeah you did." Again, more to himself than to me. He stared. He blinked. Then he stood, one hand gripping my jaw—making me look up at him, "Well it's too bad we can't do a damn well thing about it _now_."

I wanted to ask why but from the look on his face—and _her words_. That womans _words_—I knew I shouldn't. Couldn't. Probably wouldn't regardless but—

"You weren't checking the time, were you?" He wondered out loud after staring at me for I didn't know how long, "You were calling your damn friends, weren't you?" I couldn't even nod my head—his grip tightened so much on my jaw that I couldn't even move it.

His eyes narrowed further.

Then he sighed again.

"That was some mistake y'made—idiot apprentice." He dropped his hand like my face burned.

"It…was?" I managed to force out as a result.

He nodded his head, running one hand through his long red hair before pulling out another cigarette, "Shit yes, it was." He lit it with his lighter, inhaled, made a face, then exhale and brought it away from his mouth, smashing it against the bar top. "And now," I knew it had burned him, but he didn't even flinch, "we hafta get the damn hell _out_ of here. Do you _want_ your friends to be wrapped up in this shit?"

I couldn't even formulate an answer for that before he cut me off again

"No, no, o'course y'don't." He waved his hand dismissively, before, oddly, breaking out into a strange sort of broken laughter, "You aren't like me or Mana—not at all, no, not at _all_."

_Like…Mana?_

"That's right boy," I blinked—he had…had I shown that I was surprised? I couldn't remember. But he continued on anyway, "Mana too—we're all a bunch of greedy thieves. 'course you wouldn't know a damn thing about that—would you? No," suddenly his eyes—his voice—everything held an eerie seriousness to it, "we made sure you didn't, or at least _Mana_ did. The poor idiotic fool. Almost like," he stopped, almost like he had forgotten what he was going to say before, "Kid, you're bleeding."

"Wha…?"

"You're _bleeding_." He repeated again—and suddenly one of his hands disappeared outside my periphial vision—back—somewhere behind me. And his other hand was holding my head still—and—and—and—

I felt it then, a sharp pain—_'So my head really _is_ bleeding?'—_but then there was another—sharper—pain it—it—

I took a staggered breath, I felt—for the second time—the world fade out to a solid black. Then a gray—vision blurred.

A mass of red hair

And the words, spoken:

"I really _do_ say too damn much when I'm drunk."

Then it was gone. Everything. Gone.

---(Kanda's POV)---

Her eyes were shaking as they tried to focus on the now blank screen of the cell phone she just jerked out of my hand. "He…what?" she questioned, "What did he _say_. What did he say to make him say he's an idiot—he isn't—"

"He didn't say anything." I cut her off, eyes narrowing, "He hung up."

"I _figured_ that." Her voice was no more than a hiss now, "But _why_ you—you didn't _say _anything—did you?"

I tried hard not to roll my eyes, "You _heard_ everything I said."

"I—" she started again, but Lulubell placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and shook her head firmly, as if hoping this wouldn't stop the inevitable panic attack. It didn't. Obviously. Even _I_ could tell it wouldn't work.

"Calm down," her voice was trying to be soothing, but it was worried—and Road could tell it was worried—and that was what probably made it worse.

'_Ah, hell, why the fuck do I care?' _I mused silently, as Road violently shrugged the hand off.

"You can't expect me to _sit here_ when calls and doesn't even—doesn't even _try_ to call me back!"

I blinked, "What the hell makes you think he'd _try_?"

Her brows furrowed for a second before she quickly corrected herself—or added on—or just _said_, "I meant—why did he talk to _you_ and not _me_."

I shrugged my shoulders, "How the hell—"

"Because you'd probably break into a mini panic attack," Lavi cut me off, shooting me a strange look before focusing his attention back on Road, "and he doesn't want you to worry."

"If he didn't want her to worry then why the hell didn't he just _talk_ to her?" I muttered, and quickly found Road agreeing with me.

"Yeah! I'm even _more_ worried that he didn't talk to me at all!" She looked down at her phone before looking back up at us, "What if—what if something _bad_ happened to him?"

"Because—"

"Kanda." He didn't even let me get one word out before he cut me off. I wasn't stupid—I probably knew _why_ he was cutting me off but—but—

"It's the damn _truth_." I spat out.

He glared at me. Then sighed, "Maybe."

"What is?" Immediately Road tried to get in on the conversation her eyes, darting back and forth between me and Lavi and then me again, "_What_?" even a blind person could tell she was worried and not just from the tone of her voice.

I shrugged my shoulders, "It's—you can guess." I wasn't sure why I changed my mind, but Lavi kicking me in the leg a split second before I opened my mouth _probably_ had something to do with it. Not that I could be swayed that easily. Not that I cared enough—why _did_ I care enough to give my opinion?

'_Damn, I've been around too many damn people today.' _I sighed inwardly, waiting for Road's reply.

"Well if you aren't going to _tell me_ then I'll just go over there and figure it out for my_self_!" She hissed out, slipping out of her chair and trying to maneuver around the table.

Unfortunately Devit got to her before she could get too far, "Look, Road, y'_really_ don't wanna go over there right now. I can _guarantee_ y'don't want to." She shot him a glare but he didn't seem fazed in the least, "Seriously. What makes you even think they'll _be_ there."

"He has a point, dear." Veronica yawned out—leaning across the table slightly, almost looking like she was bored, "Allen probably hung up because either someone was coming to get him—someone was calling him—_or_—"

"He probably forgot to charge his cellphone and it died." Lavi butted in, "Just bein' the optimist here since no one else'll do it."

"For a _reason_." Road snapped back, "How can I—what're the _chances_ that his _phone_ just dies?"

For whatever reason, Lavi didn't even seem affected by her anger, "Eh, I dunno…he doesn't strike me as the type to use it much—but he does strike me as the type to forget to charge it." Then he _grinned_, "He used ta always ask me if he could borrow mine, since his always ran outta power right when he needed it."

"Really"

"Yup, really."

"You aren't just makin' that up?"

"Why would I?"

"I dunno—why _would_ you?"

And they stared.

And stared…

And stared—_'This is so damn annoying.'_

Not that I cared. Much.

I exhaled loudly, snapping them both out of their staring contest, "If you're gonna go then go. How the hell're you going to _get_ there, though?"

"He has a point." Devit agreed, "None of us brought cars, err," he glanced at Jasdero, "that can drive, anyway."

"Then I'll _walk_."

"This late at night?" Again there was a small hint of concern in Tyki's voice, "Sheryl will—will—" his face paled slightly.

"Oh c'mon Tyki, he's your brother, and I'm his _daughter_." Road almost—_almost_ whined, but before she could get anything else out Tyki cut her off.

"That's the _point_, dear. If I let you do anything dangerous—"

"Then we'll both creatively make something up." The grin on her face was unsettling, "Heck, we even have a professional _liar_ here."

I didn't want to think of who she was talking about.

It made it worse that Tyki _agreed_ with her, "True, true. It _would_ be useful. But what if the Millennium Earl found out?"

The table went silent. Nearly.

Then Veronica _laughed_, "You really _are_ just for looks." Then she started laughing _harder_, "No—no_ really_ that was just—"

"Not funny." Tyki cut her off instantly, eyes narrowing, "at _all_."

"But it _is_." Everyone shifted, nervously

And for the second—or first?—time I had to wonder, _'Just who the hell is this Earl guy?' _

Or did I even want to know?

Not that I cared.

"Even _if_ it is. Even _if_ he gets mad, I'm still going." Road finally broke the uneasy silence, her eyes narrowing as she turned her head away in a very dignified—and snobbish—manner.

'_Why does Allen like her again?' _I had to wonder, _'She's stubborn as hell.' _

Or wait. That _could_ be a reason.

'_I'd never date anyone like that.' _

Not that I could judge.

"Then at least let us come with you." Suddenly I was being pulled up from my chair by none other than the baka-usagi himself.

"Wha—"

Before I could even protest he cut me off, "We're his friends too—an' we're just as worried." He shot me a look, "Even if some of us'd rather not _say_ so."

"Well if you're going then I might as well." Tyki immediately relented, standing up as well and grabbing Lavi's _other_ hand.

"But Tyki—"

"No buts."

"You don't even _know_ Allen that well—I just introduced you, like, _yesterday_!" She immediately protested.

"Well for one Sheryl would be in hysterics if I _didn't_ watch you—and two, I'm the only one here with a car."

"No you—" she stopped, thought that over, before changing her sentence entirely, "—_Papa _will worry over _you_ just as much as _me_! You're his younger brother!"

"And _you're_ his daughter."

Then she went and hissed something out in some foreign language that I could barely understand. But from her tone, and Tyki's expression I knew it was an insult.

"'ey, keep this a bit civil." That and Lavi immediately responded to it, "If you wanna go see Allen then let's _go_ an' not just yell at each other. That never gets anything done."

Road seem slightly surprised that he apparently knew what she said, but the expression quickly faded to acceptance as she quickly turned away again and stalked off towards the exit.

"You know Latin?" I heard Tyki question as we began to walk—his grip, still firm on Lavi's wrist, while _Lavi's_ grip was firm on my upper arm as he pushed me through the crowd.

"Yup." The red-head responded simply, "It's one of the top dead languages to learn."

"Along with Ancient Greek."

"Mhm."

"And Italian."

"That too."

"And Japanese."

"That's cuz of Yuu."

I jerked at the sudden use of my first name—he hadn't called me that for practically the entire night. Much less in front of _Tyki_. But regardless of that fact—_'He wanted to learn Japanese because of _me_?' _

Not that I cared. He could learn it if he wanted to.

But because of _me_?

"Interesting." I nearly froze as I reached the front doors of the bar—Tyki was now _right in front of me_, hand on the glass door—too close—pushing it open—murmuring again, for only Lavi and me to hear, "So you really are Japanese?"

I didn't see why he cared. I didn't see how the _hell_ he couldn't notice that right from the—

"Yup he is." I felt Lavi jerk me closer to him, but at the same time push me forward as the door opened, "Now we'd better hurry. Road's getting' pretty far ahead."

"She can't go anywhere." Tyki replied back easily—but with an amused tone in his voice, "I have the car keys."

"I meant she might _walk_ there if we don't hurry up." For the first time I heard—what was it? Unease? Something—in his voice, "Unless y'want her to just head off on her own merry way."

"And I can just take you two back to my apartment."

"Or to ours."

"Oh? What would be the fun in _that_?" He questioned, the amused tone _never leaving_. It was almost disturbing. Almost. Not that I cared enough. No. Not that I—

"Hurry up Tyki-baka!" Road shouted from down the sidewalk, causing people to suddenly start _staring_—not that I cared, not that I cared—at us.

Immediately Tyki backed away a bit, and sped up, "Yes, yes, Road _dear_, we're hurrying!" He called back, seeming to make his voice loud, but at the same time not yelling.

Lavi never let go of my arm.

But he seemed more relaxed.

Was that a—

Stupid question. How would I know it—

"I mean Lavi an' Yuu-chan too!"

'_What_.'

"Keep walkin' Yuu," Lavi whispered, close, in my ear.

'_She _heard_ him?' _

"That _is_ your name right?" And her voice was still annoyingly loud.

I wanted to shout back—do anything, but the damn red-head kept pushing me forward—forward—"Keep movin', she's just teasin' ya."—and moving still, until my feet hit the asphalt of the parking lot.

"Or is that some kind of cute little nickname usagi-kun picked out?" she called back and I was silently thankful that there weren't many people leaving, or parking, or coming, or—

"Nicknames? Why, you _do_ need a nickname don't you?"

Could the damn conversation just _die_ already?

"Just ignore 'em." Then, louder, he shouted back, "Yes it's 'is damn name. Hates it to death—" _They don't need to know that_—"But it still _is_! Now let's get goin'."

"An' you're the one who's saying Allen might not be there." Road finally had the decency to lower her voice.

"We were _just_ trying to lighten the mood." Tyki called out as he reached his car, which Road was still leaning up against, and unlocked it.

"It was a simple question, anyway." Road added on as she slipped into the passenger side seat.

Lavi quickened his pace then, and suddenly we were there, and he nearly shoved me in the car before quickly moving to the other side and slipping in as well.

"True, true," Lavi finally conceded as Tyki started the engine, "but as they say—some questions are best left unasked."

"Isn't it 'some things are best left unsaid'?"

"It's the same thing," Lavi shrugged, "Just like I can say some things are better left unknown."

There was silence.

And then, "And? It's the same _how_?" Road wondered, twisting in her seat to look back at us as we exited the parking lot.

"Think about it." Tyki seemed to get it though, "Think about it for a moment."

"It doesn't have anything to do with speaking though—or a question." She still sounded confused. Hell—what were they getting at?

"True," Tyki murmured, glancing back at me, and then at Lavi, before looking over at Road, as we reached a red light, "But what _does_ it deal with."

"Seeing."

"And we're going to _see_ how Allen is, correct?"

"More like me an' _them_," she motioned to us in the backseat, "But yeah. So?"

"So maybe what we see may be best left unseen?"

"That sounds so corny."

"It does _not_."

"Does _too_."

"Does not—"

"Then I'll say it." Lavi cut Tyki off, making them both focus their attention on him. Once he noticed this he closed his eyes, and tilted his head ever so slightly to the side, "Eh…maybe—more like: in a horror movie, when someone says don't look in the hall closet—the main character almost always does, right?" Road nodded her head, and I found myself nodding along with her, "Well, I guess this is like saying the same thing."

"Which _is_?" She sounded annoyed now.

"Which is," Lavi repeated, tilting his head in the opposite direction, "_don't_ look in the closet. There may be something there that could've made your life _so much_ better _not_ knowing. If y'get my drift."

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**Hnn, well this chapter's definitely shorter than the last two. But, eh, I wanted to get this typed out before Halloween so I could update it. Thankfully I actually **_**managed**_** to do that! –usually never makes the dates she sets- But anyways, yes Allen's POV is weird. I wrote half of it at night and the other half right after dad randomly told me yesterday I was taking the SAT. This Saturday. A two day warning(ish?) -blinks- **

**So yeah: Questions, comments, loved it? Have CC? Send it via review! **

**  
An' Happy Halloween to those who celebrate it! (it always reminds me of Road XD)**

**Till the next chapter**

**-Harmony283**


	11. Dirty

**WARNING: THIS **_**CHAPTER**_** IS UPPED IN RATING—IT IS NOW RATED M! (for a scene/implication at the beginning of Allen's POV)**

**((I WILL put a warning at the beginning of a chapter if I believe there's questionably rated content in it.))**

**-coughs- But anyways—yes another early update from moi. Said it wouldn't happen again, but apparently now I ish a liar. Um, and no, I didn't plan the scene (at the end) out in advanced. But it's there. And I wrote it. And I'm horrible about taking things out. So I'm not going to. I'll trust my readers to heed the warning, and either read the POV, or to skip over it (it's at the end, and yes it's there as part of the chapter, and I'd **_**like **_**people to read it, but you don't have to). Anyways, the beginning's in Kanda's POV (as always) and they're searching through Cross's Diner to see if they can find out what happened to Allen/where he is. What will they find, and where will it lead them? Read and Find out! And again thanks to all the fabulous reviews! –hugs- **

**Note: Yes I wrote the poem at the beginning. It's actually the first stanza of a longer poem I wrote (which is on my FaroresTune account on deviantArt, under the name 'Taken'). I put it at the beginning here because it suited this chapter, and the next one as well (which yes I'm working on it) **

**------------------------------------------**

__

That may have been the thing I missed

Staring back in the reflected glass

Of the broken mirror

Of that morning

When they took you away

----------------------------------------------------

It wasn't much of anything. Nothing looked out of place—except that one barstool that was pushed out like someone had just sat in it. That stuck out a bit—most of the other tables had the chairs up for the night. And the lights were off.

'_Why would the Beansprout still be here?' _I wondered, watching as Lavi and Tyki looked around—like they'd actually find anything.

"Uwaah, this place is _scary_ in the dark." I tensed and jerked my arm away from Road as she tried to latch onto it, "Hey! Why'd you pull away?!"

"Don't touch me." I responded.

"I kinda _figured_ that, but _why_! I'm scared here—show some sympathy!" she was pouting. Again. It looked almost like she pouted _way _too much. Not that I was paying that much attention—oh who was I kidding?

No one. Probably.

"Why should I?" I managed to answer back. And really—why _would_ I show sympathy for her? Especially being the beansprout's girlfriend—_'Even though he did act like an idiot earlier. I've never dated in my damn life and even _I_ know more etiquette than he apparently does.' _

It was damn irritating.

"_Well_," I flinched again as she leaned in close, her voice dropping, and I could _tell_ she was about to say something I didn't want to hear—it was practically _dripping _from her voice. "You seemed all cuddly, cuddly with usagi-kun in the backseat, soooo…"

"I. Was. Not." I grated out, "and even _if_ I was—why the damn hell do you think it'd apply for you?"

"Even if you were." She echoed, not seeming to hear the last half of my sentence, "How sweet."

"What's sweet?" the question was out before I could stop it.

And she smirked. _'Why the hell did I have to open my damn mouth?' _

I didn't get a chance to answer that.

"Oh. It is."

'_That doesn't answer anything_

"Endearing, actually." She turned to look at Lavi, who was walking over to the bar, "Tyki'll be jealous if he notices. You should be lucky he was the one driving."

"Jealous?" I would ask why but that would be stupid. And I wasn't cuddling. No. That was stupid. I didn't want her to think that. Since it wasn't true. Definitely not true. Definitely.

"Yup." Her eyes were watching Tyki now, as he gravitated over towards the baka-usagi, "I'd feel sorry for La-vi, though." I would've asked why but she continued speaking, "they may be in a relationship _but_ Tyki's jealous streak runs pretty deep. An' if he even has the inkling that _his _rabbit is getting his carrots from somewhere else he'll be _so_ jealous."

Could have done without the analogy. Thank you _very_ much.

"I hate carrots."

She glanced at me.

I coughed.

Her smirk came back, "Really now?" she cocked her head slightly to the side, "but I can see why Lavi might like you." She tilted her head to the other side—oddly, and disturbingly, reminding me of what Lavi had done in the car—"You _are_ one of a kind. Maybe that's why Tyki wanted to meet you."

_One of a kind?_

She seemed to guess my thoughts, or at least that I was confused, and murmured, "Take it as a compliment." Then she took a step forward and called out, "Have you found anything?"

Tyki looked up gracefully, but Lavi was busy inspecting something behind the counter, "I think we may have." He called out, "Or at least—Lavi, dear, what…?"

Lavi looked up for a moment before lifting his hands—which had been out of sight behind the counter—and pulling out a shard of glass, "Broken glass. Recently used—it's still got some liquid from the drink, ah," he looked at it and his nose wrinkled, "Some kind of wine, I think, on it."

"And that has to do with Allen be-c_ause_?" Road wondered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Or Cross." Lavi reminded her, "It has something to do with Cross. Which probably has something to do with Allen. So it's important."

"and _what_ does it say about Cross? Besides that he's drunk, which isn't he always?" Road questioned back, but I heard the nervousness there in her voice, that and her grip noticeably tightened around her waist.

They both noticed.

"It's not been that long, has it?" Tyki murmured in a gentle voice, "Do you believe they left?"

"Looks like it. 'cept the door," he nodded to the front door that we had just walked through, "It's not locked. They must've left in a hurry."

"But to leave the _door_ unlocked?" I finally asked, "Do they just not give a damn what happens to this place?"

"Probably not." Lavi glanced over his shoulder into the storage room, "I'll hafta check, but methinks there's nothing left of value here."

"Nothing left?"

"Nope. They probably took all their money with them, and anything else that couldn't just be replaced."

"Why—"

"Why _not_?" Then he grinned, "Don't ya remember all those crime series that used ta come on late at night durin' exams? An' how we'd watch 'em together?"

I blinked. The memory was faint in my mind, but…there, "Maybe. Why?"

"Isn't that what _all_ the runaways do? Take what they can carry of the valuables." He questioned, chucking the piece of glass back in the trash can, "Makes sense, doesn't it?"

"But why would they _leave_ in a hurry?" Road piped up. She was shaking slightly, "and if they were—why didn't Allen call or text me?"

"Eh, maybe because," he dug through whatever he had gone through earlier—which was probably the trash—before pulling something, that looked _distinctly_ like the half of a mutilated cell phone, out, "of this?"

"It's…broken?"

"No, is it?" Lavi nearly laughed even though it sounded so misplaced, "actually, I'm not sure this is 'is but—"

"I can tell you if it is or not." Road stated, finally loosening her arms from around her waist, "Lemme see it." She took a step forward and held out her hand.

Lavi tossed it to her.

She almost dropped it.

But she didn't and she immediately turned it over, "Yup it's his. The bottom had the sticker on it that had his name an' stuff—but I remember sticking this sticker on the top—over the camera, since it was cracked." She held it up to the light, and I could see it—faintly—a white sticker with…some sort of pattern on it.

And what the damn hell did a _sticker_ have to do with anything? Or his cell phone?

I let out a sigh that I was sure didn't sound exactly friendly, "Well that's great. What does that tell _us_?" I wondered, looking across the room at Lavi, "already says he isn't here." I added on.

"Yes he isn't here." I had the faintest notion that for some reason he was angry with me—but—

"Then if he isn't here shouldn't we—"

"But then, where _would_ he be." Road cut me off, dropping the phone into the side pocket of her skirt, "At home?" then, oddly, she _pouted_, "because we'd _better _find him."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Tyki hummed, "I'm sure it won't take long to find him." He looked over at Lavi, but Lavi refused to look at him, "and besides," that didn't seem to bother him though, and he turned back to Road, "it seems…as though you wish to ask him something…?"

"Oh I do." Still she held the pouting face, "After we make sure he's okay an' all—I mean, he _said_ he would tell me, after all."

"Tell you what?" Lavi, Tyki, and even _I_ couldn't help but ask. Not that I cared. But…

"Oh just," her eyes fell, "he got in an argument or something with Lenalee—he said he'd tell me too, after he met us at the Dancing Pineapple."

"So that's why you wanted him to meet us there?" Lavi questioned, making his way back around the bar, towards us.

she nodded her head, "He…obviously didn't wanna tell me but," she looked up at me, then up at Lavi as he stopped in front of us, "I think I already get some of it."

"Some of what?" And Tyki actually seemed to not _get it_.

"Tch, but isn't it obvious?" I asked.

"I suppose it probably should be." She actually agreed with me, and laughed lightly, "but really—what _are_ they? What's their um—what _was_ their…um…"

"Relationship?" Lavi offered

And she quickly nodded her head, "before I came, I mean."

"Well," Lavi cocked his head slightly to the side, like he was trying to figure out how the hell to answer that.

But dammit—even _I_ could answer that.

"Didn't she always have a crush on 'im?" I don't know why I phrased it as a question, but regardless Lavi _still_ shot me a dirty look, "What? It's not that damn hard to say—"

"and it's obvious." He cut me off and sighed, turning to look back at Road, "Yes she—Lenalee—has always had a…_crush_…on Allen. And she…didn't _take it_ very well when you came along." He rubbed the back of his head apologetically, "and apparently the feelings haven't gone away. I mean—"

"I'm probably making them worse, aren't I?" That comment was more directed to herself and not us—or rather not _Lavi_, since Lavi had been the one talking, and I highly doubt the floor had ears to listen, so she couldn't be talking to it—

'_That's stupid.' _I mentally whacked myself, _'Who the hell would talk to the damn floor?' _

Unless they were psycho or something. Which no one was.

But I didn't know that.

Not that—

Well I _would_ care but…not…

"—so you're saying we need to find them."

I snapped out of my thoughts just in time to hear the end of that sentence. Tyki had asked the question, and apparently one of us—or Lavi, or Road—was supposed to answer him, "I don't quite mind." He added on, "If we _do_ find him, and he isn't fine, then we can just as easily drive him to the hospital."

Lavi immediately grimaced, "I'd rather _not_ go back there if I had to."

"But what if Allen _needs_ it?" Road protested.

"Then we can just as easily take him there ourselves, Road." Tyki chastised gently, and I noticed, then, that he had a hand—almost protectively, but…not _quite_—on Lavi's shoulder.

"And where will _you_ be? Waiting out in the car?"

"Probably." Lavi shrugged, "Not that I'll be lonely—Kan-da, can wait with me."

I blinked, "Eh?"

"And Mr. Kan-da was not paying attention, was he?" Road giggled, leaning slightly close to me, "It's not a good thing to space out during conversations!"

I took a quick step away from her and shook my head, "That's not _it_." I looked over at Lavi, "Is there any reason why the hell you want me to wait in the damn car with you?"

"So you care about the Beansprout more than me?" He almost pouted.

"_No_. there's a thing called a lobby, though."

His eyes lit up, "Does it have a candy machine!"

My eyes narrowed, "How should I know? They made me come with you when you hurt your arm."

Something told me that maybe I shouldn't've said that, but no one seemed affected by it. Or at least, not that I could tell.

"Well that's true." He actually _laughed_ over it, "Okay then. But we don't know if anythin' bad happened yet. We could just be overreacting."

"because he sounded like shit on the phone, which _somehow_ he hung up, after calling himself an idiot—and now said cell phone is broken, and we know Cross is drunk." Road quickly stated the facts, "So we shouldn't be worried."

Lavi laughed again, shrugging Tyki's hand off before raising his hands in defeat, "Okay, okay, you win. But do you even know where he lives?"

She blinked for a moment, then thought about it, then nodded her head, "Yup. The really rich apartment complex place—Rhododendron, I think." She closed her eyes for a moment, "Aaand I think they live on one of the fancy apartments on the top floor. Number E80—I _think_. I'd recognize it. I've been there once, when Cross wasn't there." She smiled wistfully, "It was nice. But," she looked at me, and then at Lavi, "You two haven't been there?"

"No, no, I have," Lavi immediately corrected, "It's just—I didn't know if you knew. Just curious, I mean. It's been a while since I've been there, though."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he almost sounded like he regretted it, "I mean—Kanda an' I've been so busy lately that we don't really see much of 'em unless we happen to go by Cross' Diner."

"That's all fine and good," Tyki butted in, placing his hand once more on Lavi's shoulder, "But shouldn't we worry more about _getting_ there first? I'm the one driving and I don't believe I've been there before."

"Knowing you, you probably have and just don't remember." Road taunted back.

And the look on his face then was—was actually _readable_. Not that I liked the guy any, or _cared_, but…even I could tell that that was something he had wished Road hadn't said.

I didn't want to know why. Of course. It wasn't like I _cared_.

'_But just how long am I going to get by with that as an excuse?' _the thought unnerved me, as we turned around and walked back out the still open doors of the Diner, _'There has to be something I care about, after all.' _

But I didn't care too much to find out who—or_ what_—the hell that was.

-----(Allen's POV)-----

It happened again. Just like I knew it would when Cross was drunk and angry and—and all those other emotions. Of course it would happen again.

"Get yourself cleaned up, boy." I flinched at his rough voice coming from over near the bathroom. My eyes still couldn't work properly—I could see him, yes, his faint outline and red hair. He had somehow found his pants again, and was wearing them, but didn't seem too bothered to find his shirt.

He was lighting a cigarette. And inhaling. And exhaling. And there was a bit of smoke.

"_Well_?" I flinched again, as I watched him, blurrily, take the cigarette from his lips and mash it the ashtray sitting on the edge of the desk, "You _can_ move, can't ya? Or was it too much again?"

Why did he have to say that? Wasn't it obvious?

I didn't say anything.

He didn't either. Not for a while. Then, suddenly, I felt something hit my legs that was heavy, and felt distinctly like fabric.

"There're your clothes." He finally spoke again, and this time he was leaning right over me, "When you can move, take a shower or somethin'." He looked up for a moment, then back at me, "I won't be here when you get done."

"Wh-why?" I somehow managed to croak out, even though I probably shouldn't've said anything to begin with. He never answered me after this. Never did. Not that he was usually _conscious_ after—after this. He was usually too drunk—and too-and too—

"Because, I just got a feelin' I shouldn't be here." He let out a laugh, "Don't be so surprised, boy, if your friends come an' get meddled in this shit on their own. But just know it's all your damn fault for callin' them in the first place."

I couldn't look at him then. I squeezed my eyes shut, and didn't open them—not even when I heard the door slam, and his heavy booted footsteps down the hall…to the main room, and eventually he would be out—out going somewhere

And he wouldn't be back for a few days.

'_Maybe he feels guilty.' _It was a novelty thought. One I'd like to believe, _'Mana left me in his care—of course he has to take care of me. This isn't taking care of me.' _

That much was painfully obvious.

I slowly opened my eyes, _'This wasn't…planned at all, was it, Manna?' _like he could actually answer me, _'but maybe it was my fault. I chose to stay—I could've walked Lenalee home, like she asked. Like Road said I should.' _

Road.

Cross's last words rang out in my head, _**'But you know it's all your damn fault' **_

It would be my fault, if she got wrapped up in whatever—whatever happened.

'_she doesn't need to know.' _

My eyes widened.

'_I really _am_ an idiot.' _

I tried to stand.

'_What if they went to Cross's Diner? He didn't lock the door—they could walk right in!' _

But would they even see it? The cell phone? And the broken glass?

'_Lavi would.' _

The thought should've relieved me—but it didn't. How _could_ it? Especially now. After—after he did _that_.

I was thankful I was still passed out. But—

My stomach lurched and, despite all the pain and protest of my arms, legs, and muscles—I somehow managed to sit up. My legs, like jell-o, as I staggered across the room. I felt sick, _'and it's all his fault.' _And they were going to be here, _'And it's all my fault.' _And I was going to be sick, _'and that was his fault too.' _But I—and I—and they—and…

Thankfully he had left the door to the bathroom open. I was there, on the floor in front of the toilet, gagging.

Heaving, and gagging again, until I felt whatever I had eaten come back up in the acidic mess.

I felt like shit.

'_Dammit I really _am_ such an idiot.' _The tears pricked at my eyes as I heaved again.

'_That was probably my lunch.' _I humorlessly thought, before I was sick again.

'_And my breakfast.' _

And again.

'_Maybe I shouldn't eat so much.'_

Again.

But I knew I would anyway.

And _again_…again…again…

Finally it seemed like everything—except my intestinal organs—was out, and only _then_ did my stomach decide not to heave.

Not like I'd go anywhere for a while. My legs felt too much like jell-o—like what happened _before_ wasn't just enough—and added with this…I'd probably be crawling for the rest of the day.

'_But what if Road comes?' _that was enough to get me to try to stand. I managed, somehow, with the help of the toilet seat, and the counter, and then the wall, and then the side of the tub. Then somehow I wound up _inside_ the tub, and, because I was there, I turned on the faucet.

After all—it made sense didn't it? _'He did say that I needed to get cleaned up.' _And I felt dirty. Too dirty, and in too many possible ways.

My stomach clenched.

'_No. I don't need to think about—'_

Cold water hitting my skin immediately made me yelp—it hurt, but it got me standing. Yes I wanted a bath, but with _warm_ water—not cold. So I waited. Watched the water, tested it—made _sure_ to flush the toilet while I was up—made sure it was warm enough, before stepping in again.

And I washed. Made sure each ounce of my skin was clean from that dirty feeling. I probably used more soap than I ever had before in my life. And I washed my hair too—just in case. Not that—

I stopped that sentence.

'_I won't think about it.' _

I submerged myself in the soap water, then sprayed my hair off with the extendable shower head. Once I deemed myself clean enough—or at least _wet_ enough—I pulled the plug on the drain and watched as the soapy residue slowly began to funnel down…down into the pipes below to wherever it went after that.

I shivered.

Once the water was nearly gone, I stepped out and grabbed the nearest towel—thankfully it was big enough and fluffy enough to practically cover all of me. I managed to stagger from the bathroom back into the room, and somehow I managed to get _straight_ to the bed, where my uniform lay sprawled and wrinkled. Unfortunately only the shirt seemed salvageable and…and _clean_. Everything else was—

I stopped the thought.

'_Don't I have my regular clothes in my backpack?' _I glanced around the room and my eyes fell on my backpack, propped up against the wall. Some of the contents—my books, and a few pens—had fallen out, but the bag that held my clothes was still firmly tied and lodged in the opening.

But it was by the door, and I _really_ didn't feel like moving.

I glanced at my uniform again, _'It'd be weird though, if I was still wearing it, though.' _

I let out a sigh and forced myself off the bed to stumble in the direction of the door. Once I got there, I used the wall for a balance as I bent down and grabbed the bag that held my clothes. _'Road'll be here any minute now, if she does come.'_—which she probably would—_'I have to hurry.' _

And Lavi, maybe, would be there too. And whoever would drive. Meaning…no, Kanda's car was in that accident—it was probably getting repaired.

'_Tyki probably drives.' _But I barely knew him, _'That…would be…' _

I shook the thought away and quickly dumped the clothes out onto the floor. Immediately I grabbed the boxers—why the _hell_ I had an extra pair, or thought to _bring_ any, I had no idea. But I was silently glad for them. I managed to slip them on, then my jeans—which was harder to do than I thought it would be—and I was _just_ about to grab my shirt when I heard a loud knock on the front door.

And I already knew who it was going to be.

"Allen! Are you home?!" What surprised me though—is that _wasn't_ Road's voice. It was Lavi's.

But again. He probably tagged along.

I quickly grabbed my shirt and tugged it on over my head—thankful that I had worn long sleeves to—

I cut that sentence off as well.

"Why don't you just break the damn door down?" I had taken two steps into the hall, but those words—that _voice_—made me freeze.

Kanda was here too?

But—

"Because what if he _is_ home." Lavi immediately protested back before he knocked again, "Helloooooo!"

They were both worried about me.

I tried hard to put on a 'happy face', even though Cross's words still hung over me. I knew they would worry if I didn't at least _try_ to be happy. Then, I opened my mouth, and called out, "Coming!" as loud as I could. And my hand reached out, and unlocked the front door.

And I opened it.

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**And there's the End of Chapter Ten. Uh…not much else to say but, um, the last part…Allen's POV…eeeegh . -hates writing stuff like that, even though half the time she accidentally **_**does**_**- Um…well…**_**anyway**_**, as I said before—this is an early update again, might not happen again (but now I'm not too sure?) I'll see how soon I get the next chapter finished.**

**And as always, R&R PLEASE! Have Questions, Comments, Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review! **

**-Till the Next Chapter**

**-Harmony283**


	12. Getting to a Place You Know

**Chapter 11's here (and early...again, though I had it done the day after I uploaded the last chapter), and hopefully it'll bring certain things to light that happened in the last chapter. Maybe. Basically Lavi and Co. arrive at Allen's House, but what will happen once they get there? Also, you get to see a slightly..._different_ POV at the end, which shows at least one motive behind Cross's actions--AND you get to meet a new (and totally unplanned) character! **

**And of course—thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews!**

**Note: Was planning on uploading this sometime this weekend, or something buuuut I fail at waiting. Really I do. That and the last chapter was makin' me uncomfortable, so yeah. Anyways...I wrote this chapter listening to the song Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake. Really sets the mood in my opinion...**

**------------------------------------------------------------------**

**---LAVI'S POV---**

My heart sank as I saw him, standing there, with the door open, trying his best to smile at us—but failing on so many different levels. His hair was wet, and it looked like he had just woken up—or he was about to fall asleep. And his legs were shaking. Barely, but they were.

"Allen!" Road immediately cried out, trying to shove past me to get to him. But I stopped her, obviously, by stepping in front of her, "Hey!"

"It's glad to see you're alive." I joked and for a second his smile cracked, "We were worried about ya when suddenly you hung up."

He blinked dumbly at me for a moment before he seemed to get it, "Oh! Ah, I'm sorry, my phone kinda went dead, I…forgot to charge it."

"Really."

He nodded his head, nervously.

"You've _got_ to remember to charge it more often!" Road scolded from behind me, trying to scoot past me again, but this time Tyki stopped her.

"I know, I know." He tried to laugh, but just like his movements, it was shaky and nervous, "Probably'll have to get a new one though. I wasn't careful and I accidentally dropped it."

"Well hopefully you'll get a better deal on one—if yours keeps dyin' I mean, must mean the battery's crappy." I replied back, "but anyways, is Cross," he flinched at the name, "here?"  
"No, I think you just missed 'im, actually." He tried to smile again, "He said he had to go out somewhere, and that he wasn't sure when he'd be back. So I'm basically stuck here by myself." Then he seemed to realize something and stepped aside, "Ah—right, come on in!"

I was the first one in, and what hit me was how…

"Wow this place is a lot different than I remember it." I whistled. Everything looked new, or close to new. And cleaner. Much cleaner.

"Oh, ah, yeah. We had to do some renovations for some stuff—there was, um, mild water damage when Cross," his voice cracked and he cleared it, quickly shifting down the hall—shaky legs and all—to the first door, grabbing it's handle and quickly shutting it, "left a window open." He finished when he turned back to look at us, hand still firmly on the doorknob.

Mental note: check that room later.

"Left the _window_ open?" Kanda muttered, "How the hell can someone forget to close a _window_?"

"It was during the summer." Allen snapped back, eyes narrowing as Kanda walked up to stand next to me. Then, suddenly, he seemed to realize something and lowered his voice, "But it_ was_ stupid. One of those random rainstorms—and he _forgot_ to close it. Forgot it was even _open_."

Kanda raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"What'd ya have to do though? Replace the floors?" I wondered, "It couldn't've been that bad."

"Oh you'll see," he finally let go of the doorknob and waved us down the hall to the living room/kitchen area.

We filed in, one by one, and I _had_ to say I was impressed. The floor was wood now, not tile like I had remembered it being, and there were new pieces of furniture littered about the room—a new couch with matching white end chairs, a new lamp, and new curtains. Even one of the windows had been replaced with a traced design that looked like it _must've_ cost—

"See? It was this window." I watched as he walked across the room and touched the carved glass, "It was really bad here, the old couch was _soaked_ when we got home." He smiled, wistfully, "And there was a huge mold problem." I could see his reflection in the broken pieces of glass, his eyes downcast and almost gloomy, "He's allergic. To mold."

"Lots of people are." I agreed, "but I can see why you had to replace the floor then—mold can grow quickly if everything's set right."

"Ah, yeah." He turned back around and tried to smile, "but this is pretty much it, really. I mean—some of this stuff," he nodded to the various ornaments that I hadn't noticed before, "was actually just in storage. Mana always collected some interesting things from all the places we used to travel to when he was a clown."

"Oh yeah!" Road suddenly spoke up, "You told me that he was but—what exactly's his? Or…" she looked around, "I mean—" she took a few steps closer to Allen, then, suddenly, stopped, "is there anything you like?" she wondered, "I mean—is there anything he left that you just, y'know…" she trailed off and made some sort of elaborate had motion, "you get what I mean, right?"

He laughed. Or tried to, "Yeah I do. Actually, there _is _something but," he hesitated, "It's…in Cross' room."

"Really? Then let's go see it!" She tried to latch onto him, but he stepped to the side at the last minute.

"Um, he doesn't exactly keep his room _clean_, and I just…got home, so I haven't been able to tidy anything up, really."

'_He's lying.' _It was enough in the way he was walking. Stiff, and almost _too_ slow, across the room, _'But how much?' _

"Ah, I see." She deflated, "I guess we'll just wait here, or somethin'." She didn't seem to have any qualms about _that_ though—she plopped right down on one of the couches—the one Tyki had somehow maneuvered to, and was now _lounging_ on, like he owned it—and leaned back against it.

"Yeah, make yourself at home." It didn't really seem like he _wanted_ us to, though. He quickly bowed before scurrying out of the room.

"I guess now's a good time as any to go to the bathroom." And I nearly immediately excused myself.

"Do you know where it is, though?" Road called out after me.

Or at least I _tried_ to.

I stopped, "Well, I think I saw one by the front?"

Road stared at me for a moment. Then nodded her head, "There is one. I think. Might as well ask Allen to make sure."

I nodded my head, "Yeah I'll do that."

"And tell me if the room's actually messy, or if he's lying."

I couldn't help but grin, inwardly, at that, _'She's smarter than she looks.' _

Regardless I nodded my head again, "Yeah sure." Then I headed off in that direction. Sure enough—there _was_ a bathroom—one directly diagonal from the room that Allen had obviously gone into.

'_for someone who's limpin' he sure as heck can limp fast.' _

I ignored the bathroom and immediately knocked on the door that I _knew _Allen was in, "Oi Allen."

There was a loud thump. Then the sound of something falling, along with—

"Gah!"

"Allen?" I tested the door, and, ironically enough—or maybe not, since there was really nothing ironic about it—it was open. "Allen?" I questioned again as I turned the knob and pushed the door open.

I couldn't say anymore.

The place really _was _messy as heck.

But not—not—

Allen was by the bed, trying desperately to wrap the sheets—_and something else_—in over each other. He had somehow gotten tangled, and now the sheets were coming untangled. They were unfolding to reveal what he had been trying to—

"Oh."

He didn't say a word. He didn't say a _damn word_. He didn't even try to explain. To stutter. To _anything_.

Then, slowly, he swallowed, "L-Lavi, um, wh-what…?" He stopped after that, his eyes quickly falling to the floor. He had given up. Just like that._ Just like that._

I closed my eyes, "I won't ask."

He didn't say a word. Not for a while. Then, he swallowed again, "Close the d-door. Please."

I did just that.

He exhaled, "You w-won't ask?" I shook my head, "I-I see. Even if," he looked down, and then back up at me, "Even if it's bad?"

"What's 'bad'?"

He blinked.

I blinked back.

He let out a shaky sigh, "That's right." He laughed, mostly to himself, "You're like that. I-I almost forgot. Right." Then he tried to smile.

"Don't smile. A forced smile always looks bad."

He stopped smiling.

"You knew, didn't you?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Right when you got here."

"Were you trying to hide anything?" We both knew the answer to that. And the reason I asked it.

"You're amazing."

"The way I was raised." I shrugged my shoulders again. "We found your cell phone, by the way."

He blinked, dumbly, for a moment, before realization hit him, "Oh! It was…pretty bad, right?"

"Snapped in two." I explained, "Only found the top half."

For a moment he was silent, then, hesitantly, he asked, "So they know?"

"Know what?"

"What—I mean—what--?" he couldn't seem to formulate the question right, so I asked it for him:

"What happened at the Diner?" he seemed almost relieved that I had asked, "You sounded like shit—and then you go and tell Yuu that that you're an idiot and then the phone dies. What were we _supposed_ to think?"

"Road freaked, didn't she?" He tried to smile. Stopped. Replaced it with a sad look instead.

"Pretty much." Again, I shrugged, "We all did—but really, it took some convincing to get her to let Tyki drive us there."

"She didn't want to go?" he seemed slightly surprised by that.

I almost laughed, "Oh no—she would've _walked_ there."

"Walked?" it took a minute for what I said to sink in, but once it did his eyes widened, "_What_?"

"She would've."

"…_that_ worried?" For some reason that didn't seem to register with him.

"I'd assume she was. But that's askin' a bit much—with the traffic accident an' all."

His eyes softened a bit at that, "You were in it, weren't you? With Kanda?" His eyes focused on my right arm before focusing back on my face, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Eh, Jiji's probably gonna get mad at me again—whenever the heck he gets back—but the only thing hurt is Yuu's car. And possibly our photography grade."

And for a moment after that, Allen just stared at me. Then, softly, he smiled and said, almost curiously, "You're calling Kanda 'Yuu' a lot lately, aren't you?"

I blinked, "Well it's 'is first name."

"Yeah but he'd always try to chop your head off whenever you called him that before—"

"Like he'd get away with that." I laughed, "Besides, he's not in here—is he?"

Then. Almost ironically—and this time _really_ ironically—there was a knock. A loud one. On the door.

"Oi."

"Speak of the devil as they say."

The door was kicked open a second later—I barely had time to move.

"What the _hell's _takin' you so long?" He was glaring at _me_—not at Allen, and definitely _not _at the room—and all the evidence of what could have happened in it.

"Ah, Yuu! I was just talkin' with Allen, here, um,"

"Didn't you say…?" he dropped the sentence, "Whatever. Just—"

"Can we take this somewhere _else_?" Allen suddenly butted in, "I mean—yeah this room's great when it's _clean_ but right now it's not so—"

"Then why the hell don't you _clean_ it."

_'Oh crap.' _

"I was _going to_ Ba-Kanda. But I was going to _try_ to look for what I wanted to show Road first!" he seemed to have enough venom in his voice to at least make his voice sound _somewhat _threatening. But not enough to actually carry out whatever threat that _was_.

And I highly doubted Kanda would notice it. Him and human-interaction never _did_ go well together. So before he could take another step into the room I placed a hand, firmly on his shoulder—squeezing it slightly to get him to look at me.

"Wh_at_?"

"Did you just leave Tyki and Road in there?"

"They're talking in some damn language—I don't know what the _hell_ they're saying." He paused for a moment, "and Tyki kept texting someone."

"Someone?" I blinked, "He knows lots of people." What I _really_ wanted to know is why he noticed that in the first place. But he would deny it to high heaven like it was some damn crime to notice something specific that someone was doing.

"It just reminded me." He shrugged my hand off his shoulder and began fishing around in one of his pockets. A second later and he pulled out a very familiar looking cell phone, "Here."

"You brought my cell phone?"

"You've got a message."

I blinked again and quickly flipped it open—quickly scrolling through the 'missed calls' before I found one number—the most recent—that looked highly familiar.

"Jiji? He called?"

Kanda nodded his head, "Right after you left. He left a voice mail."

I looked up at him, faintly aware that Allen was staring at us like this was some sort of enlightening show, and managed to ask, "And you'd know this because?"

"I heard it."

------**CROSS'S POV------**

"You've gotta fuckin' be _kidding _me." I hissed out, staring up at the sky, which _should have_ been clear, but for some damn reason _wasn't_. "If I'd know the Gods felt like pissin' on my head today I would've dammit brought the _car_."

But I knew I couldn't do that.

Fuck.

The damn prat's friends just _couldn't_ mind their own damn business, _'An' it's all the kids fault too.' _

I stopped. Lit a cigarette, took a puff, then dropped it and ground it into the pavement.

'_Call myself a damn hypocrite.' _I groaned, "It ain't all damn kids fault." I ran a hand, messily, through my still-damp hair, "and I went and fuckin' made it _worse_."

Worse because I was drunk. Worse because he was _there_ and because he was there—and because he _'reminds me so much of her_—'

White hair, pale skin, grey eyes—like winter. But not.

'_Like the day the kid was found.' _

I sighed, "Dammit."

It _wasn't_ all the kids fault. Common sense—or what little I had of it—was screamin' it's lungs out just to tell me that one little thing. And I couldn't _not_ agree with it. Not now.

'_My head hurts.' _

I let out another sigh.

The rain began to fall.

'_Shit. I'll be soaked before I even goddammit _get_ there.' _

Wherever the hell _there_ was.

'_She said I'd know. The damn witch.'_

The images—broken from the glass bottles, and the liquor—flashed through my mind.

Her winning each damn hand using—using _more_ goddamn skill than I could ever muster to achieve—and so fuckin' _easily_ to.

Then her saying those dreaded words, _**'You'd like to see her again, wouldn't you?' **_

'_I thought she was dead.' _I had to force my legs to move.

'_**Oh, she's not dead. Far from it. Would you like to see her?' **_

"How could I say no to that?" I titled my face up and stared at the clouds, letting the raindrops—sparse now, but I knew it wouldn't remain that way—fall easily on my face.

'_**Then you must meet me. Alone. At that place—you'll know it immediately. But,' **_

There was always a 'but'.

'_**You mustn't bring the boy. Yes—the one downstairs.' **_

'_Why did I ever bring Allen into the damn conversation to begin with?' _

'_**You know he's wrapped up in this just as much as you are. With that one choice.' **_

'_That girl…' _

'_**He doesn't realize it, but he does love her.' **_And then that swift, easy smile, _**'Unfortunately he just might get his friends involved. You wouldn't want them to know, would you? About that dirty little secret of yours?'**_

I stopped. I could barely see anymore, the rain kept falling and blurring my vision. I closed my eyes.

'_**That boy miraculously doesn't hate you. But he may hate the one you think he is. And the fact that you're drunk.' **_

I had fallen for that. Hook line and sinker.

In an instant Allen had been opening the door—two beer bottles in his hands with _that expression_ on his face.

'_**Cross?!' **_

'_**Get the fuck out of 'ere—'**_

He didn't listen, _**'What—'**_

Then I got angry.

'_Did I have to push 'im down the damn stairs?' _Probably not but the kid—he'd been through worse. Much worse. His left eyes blind. His left arm—not much feeling left in it.

'_**But he may hate the one you think he is.' **_

I couldn't blame him.

He'd hate me too, after this.

I slowly opened my eyes, and looked around. I was farther than I had been before—I managed to keep my legs moving, by some grace of whatever God was out there—and this place…seemed oddly familiar.

The road. An overhang. Some old decrepit looking boxes, and something smoking.

Or. No. It was tobacco. I recognized the rustic smell—the almost metallic twinge to the air from the smoke.

Someone was smoking. And they were nearby.

'_No. Really?' _I smirked at my own blatant sarcasm and moved towards the overhang. The smell became more and more pungent until, rather suddenly, it was _right there_.

But no one was right—

A small puddle, nearby, shifted, small ringlets forming. Then a splash.

And there, standing not only a few feet away—_'How could I have missed that?'_—was her. With a cigarette dangling lazily out of the corner of her mouth, and her eyes, hidden, by old sunglasses.

It was raining and she didn't have an umbrella.

And she was wearing white.

"A little promiscuous nowaren't we?" I questioned out loud as she began to walk towards me, "this late at night?"

She stopped, "Promiscuous?" She sounded like she had never heard the word before, "_Me_? Or should it really be _you_ Cross, darling." She smiled in a hazily familiar way—_'Like the brat'_ my mind wanted to say, but really it was _'The brat smiles just like her.'_

It couldn't be the other way around.

But regardless of damn smiles, she needed an answer, and I knew her well enough to give 'er the one she was looking for, "Me? How the hell could _I_ be promiscuous."

"You just have a jacket on—and you smell like sex." She stated bluntly, allowing the cigarette to fall from her lips as she stepped beneath the overhang with me.

Her eyes were just like his—a cold, curious, shade of grey.

But again—it should be the other way around. His eyes should look like _hers_.

She _was _his mother after all.

-------------------------------------------------------

**Topping at exactly 9 pages (or 8 and a half) this is the end of Chapter Eleven. Again finished at record speed. I expected to have some explanation done in this chapter…**_**but**_** obviously I didn't get to all of it (or most of it). Um, though I gave Allen a mom in this XD Fancy that. But hopefully not so many people are mad at me (for what happened last chapter), right? Right? I said I'd explain things, and I am so—so! –coughs- **

**But anyways, R&R please! Have questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review!**

**-Till the next chapter**

**-Harmony283**


	13. Bad Time to Notice Things

**Chapter twelve is here, and the first thing I'll point out is Cross's POV starting out. Y'might (and I highly recommend, because even **_**I**_** had to do it) want to re-read some of his POV in the last chapter. Just so some stuff adds up. Also I'm officially doing the time skip thing again in this chapter (in Kanda's POV) just to make things move a little faster. And there is some fluff. Some. Just a tad. So hopefully the people looking for it will find it ^^**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: Because of my French Grade (and the fact my Progress Report came in oh so **_**inconveniently**_** yesterday—the only day my dad decided to take off from work to go golf and do a fundraiser) I WILL NOT be on the computer as often. My dad even put a stricter time limit on when I **_**write**_** (not that he can enforce it but…I don't want to push it) so I'm not sure when I'll be able to upload the next chapter—but I will **_**try**_** to work on it whenever I can. But grades are important, so school work comes before free time, sadly. –sighs- **

**(Though I have the entire week off for Thanksgiving, so I might get some time to update then, if the chapter's finished and I'm not overly busy that week/sis isn't hogging the computer) **

**---------------------------------------------------**

**-------(CROSS'S POV)-------**

"That's not very nice." I laughed out, "'specially coming from you."

"No one said I had to be nice." She stated without missing a beat, "Especially when it comes to _you_." Her eyes narrowed, "Honestly—the curious side of me _wants_ to know who you just did it with, but the other side of me says I probably don't want to know." She fished around in her purse for a moment, before pulling out her cigarette box and sliding one out. She quickly found her lighter—lighting the end—before quickly dropping it back into her purse.

She took it between her lips and inhaled, then exhaled.

"Smoking'll kill you."

"Oh? You're the one that got me started in the _first_ place." She tapped me playfully on the chest, "Right after you got me addicted to that crappy classical stuff you listen to in your car _and_ the kind of beer you drink." She inhaled again, and then exhaled, "I swear when I try _not_ to think of you, you come back and haunt me." Then, oddly, her eyes softened, "And…" but she never finished that sentence.

"The kid too." I decided to finish it for her.

She sighed, "Yeah, him too." Then she stopped. Blinked. _"What_? The kid—you don't mean—"

"I don't mean?" I grinned down at her.

Only to have her step on my damn _foot_—and she was wearing _high heels_, "That's not funny."

"Bitch."

"Only you would know." She replied back, "And no—I _don't_ think about the kid. At all."

"You did just leave him there."

"That I did."

"Got thrown in jail for it."

"Didn't want him in the first place."

"and yet it still comes back to haunt you."

Her eyes narrowed, "Sometimes, yes. But is that _all_ you came here for—to tease me?"

"I didn't come here."

She blinked and stared at me a moment, "Well you're _here_. How could you not come here and still be here?" She thought over her own words for a moment before adding on, "That doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense."

"You're tellin' _me_?" I laughed out, "All the lady said was that I'd know when I was there. Didn't even give me a damn incentive."

'_Not one I'd want, anyway.' _Because I sure as hell didn't want to meet _her_ again anytime soon.

"Really?" her voice snapped me back out of my thoughts. Curious, and so unnervingly like Allen's—except higher—that—that--

I shrugged my shoulders, "Well she did say you'd show up."

Her eyes narrowed, "Now _who_ is this again?"

"Just—"

"a _name_—give me a _name_."

"Tasha Loan." I shrugged, suddenly feeling the need for a cigarette—only to remember I had thrown the pack somewhere in the room earlier, and only had one randomly stashed in my pocket when—

"And _how_ do you know her?"

"How do I know any other woman I ever meet?" I grinned down at her and she glared back, "The internet. Pretty well known too—her predictions are right nearly all the damn time."

"_Nearly_?" she whistled, "That sounds…_interesting_. Too bad I don't believe in that crap."

I let out a laugh at that, "Y'know I'm wonderin' _how_ the hell the brat ever _came_ from you."

She probably didn't want to hear that—hell _I_ probably wouldn't wanna hear that—_'If I even have a kid…which I probably do, but hopefully the lucky lady's keepin' 'em as faaaar away from me as possible.' _

I really didn't like the thought of mini-me's running around everywhere.

"You ask that _now_ because?" she finally got it in herself to answer, "That isn't like you."

"Maybe." I agreed—_'Dammit I need a cigarette—_"But then since when did ya _ever_ guess me right?"

She glared at me for a moment before a look of realization crossed over her face, "Don't tell me—"

"—then I won't." I grinned back.

"Let me finish first!" She snapped before quickly composing herself, "you didn't…in front of _Allen_—did you?"

I almost laughed. Almost. "Damn, you've got your mind lodged in the gutter _already_?" I failed. I laughed.

"Your fault. But seriously—that's sick." She shivered, "Doing that in front of—in front of."

"Who said I did anythin' _in front of_ the damn kid?" I wondered, "You're the one who came up with idea in th' first place."

"but you've been with whoever it was that told you to come here." Vague wording. Something they both shared.

"Maybe."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"The damn bitch beat me at poker—why the _hell _would I sleep with her?"

On second thought, maybe I shouldn't've revealed that.

"What?" She stared at me before answering, "I beat you once too—but you still—"

"That's cuz you've got luck. Had to congratulate you somehow." I groaned out—damn I _really_ wanted a cigarette now—brushing a strand of hair out of my eyes, "That kid, though, doesn't have an ounce of luck. At all."

She raised an eyebrow at this, "Oh? Then he's just like his father. Bless his soul." She placed a hand over her heart and bowed her head.

"Y'know the motion's meaningless if you don't mean it." I chided her gently, and immediately the hand dropped.

"True." She shrugged it off, "But—what did you _do_ since I apparently got it oh-so-drastically wrong?"

"Never said you got it wrong." I tapped my foot against the wet pavement, brushing another wet strand of hair out of my eyes, "Jus' I didn't do a damn thing in front of him with that chic."

"…Then you did what I thought with…who?"

"You'll kill me if I say so." I thought that sentence over, "Or you'll laugh."

"Now I'm worried." She barked out, shaking her head from side to side before, suddenly, the revelation hit her. Right. In. the. Face. And goddammit _hard_ too. I would've laughed—really—I would've—

But her scream cut me off.

"_What_?!" She gawked at me, then glared at me—then I felt a distinctly familiar sting on the side of my face, "What the—you—you—you perverted pedophilic sad excuse for a Guardian!"

I wanted to laugh at that too, but I _really_ didn't want the bitch slapping me again, so I agreed, "Don't need _you _to tell me that twice."

"Then I won't. B-B-But…he's my _son_!"

"Whom you abandoned."

"almost."

"almost." I consented, still rubbing my offended cheek, "and Mana found him."

"And gave him to _you_ after he went off and killed himself." She waved her hand dismissively.

"He didn't go fuckin' kill himself." I reminded her, "Only certain people'd do somethin' _that_ crazy."

"Then how did he oh so wonderfully _die_?" she was practically seething now, "I could report you, y'know. You—at _least_ tell me he consented!"

"He didn't have a choice."

Her eyes narrowed. I could tell it was taking every inch of her damn sanity to stand here and _listen_ to me, "And by that you mean?" even her words were tense, filled with anger—all directed at _me_, "You didn't rape him did you?"

"I was _drunk_."

"Aren't you always?"

"And pissed."

"Because she beat you at Poker, and thus you took it out on A…llen." For some reason she had difficulty saying his name, "And I _really_ thought you couldn't get any worse." Then she turned on her heels and began to walk off. But before she could get too far I called out.

"If it makes ya feel better—he's just like you in bed! An' he doesn't remember hardly anythin' afterwards."

"That's _supposed_ to make me feel better?" she shouted back, not even caring that she was wearing white—and it was _raining_—and she didn't have an umbrella. Or. No. I didn't know that but I doubted her damn purse could hold _that_ much stuff. _'But I've been wrong on that account.' _

Women and their stupid shit. Lugging around purses that were like very large duffle bags. Or the female version of one. How much crap did they _need_ in one day?

But I watched, wordlessly, as she stormed off through the rain, her hair—loose, wet, sticking to her face, nearly the same length as Allen's—and her eyes, most likely, fixed ahead, on the twisting road she had to get to—_just like Allen._

And I had to wonder, as the rain began to pound harder and harder on the small overhang, _'Is this the reason she told me to come here? So that I could tell her _that_?' _

"Well that's just a bunch of crap." I muttered out, running a hand through my hair before stepping out into the rain, "There's no way in hell she'd know _that_ much."

No way in hell…

If only I believed that.

-------(Kanda's POV)-------

I didn't occur to me that I'd walked in at the _worst_ possible time. But dammit—Lavi could just leave at the _worst_ possible times. And he had to leave then. To find the damn bathroom. Which was obviously a lie now—

And I couldn't say I didn't care. It bugged the _hell_ out of me.

And the stupid Beansprout looked just as shitty as he sounded on the phone. Flinching at my words when he never did before—it was _so fucking obvious_—but I couldn't bring myself to care.

I always had bad timing. It wasn't as bad as his—but it certainly wasn't way up wherever the hell the damn Rabbit was placed.

But now—_now_ the damn rabbit was staring at me like I had just said the _worst_ possible thing. I wasn't an idiot. I _knew_ half the time his old man called it usually never wound up being anything _good_. And there was lots of yelling involved. Then he would sulk. Or read. Or be oddly quiet for a few hours—hours which I _would have enjoyed_ had it not been him being quiet.

Lavi being quiet never was a good thing.

And now he was dead quiet and I was starting to notice. Notice odd things in the room that just _weren't_ normal.

Fuck. Now I was starting to wonder.

'_The Beansprout said he _did_ need to clean up this room. Did Cross have someone over?' _I grimaced inwardly at the thought. It wasn't a secret that he'd probably seen half the women in town by now—but really.

Decency. He needed Decency.

Never would have it—probably. But the thought was nice.

The Beansprout coughed, "Um, really. We _should_ take this…somewhere else." He shifted, uncomfortably, but halted the movement almost immediately, "Cross could come back soon. A-And he's very picky about people being in his room. Especially when it isn't clean."

I snorted, _'For someone who doesn't give a flying fuck about his reputation that's pretty ironic.' _And truthfully, it was. His reputation was skewered by lies and a whole truckload—or three, or four—of crap, and yet if someone, heaven forbid, walked into his room and it wasn't clean he'd go and throw a hissy fit.

'_That is _not_ an amusing thought. It is not.' _But I couldn't help the smirk trying to tug its way at my lips. Thankfully it didn't show—or at least the Beansprout didn't notice. However, Lavi did. He always did. _'Intuitive Rabbit.' _

But that was how he always was.

Now wasn't any different.

Or at least, I'd like to think it wasn't. Could be wrong. Probably was.

"Yeah we should." His voice jolted me and I found myself suddenly being turned and _pushed_ out the door. What's worse is Lavi was the one doing the pushing—and All—the _Beansprout_—was the one doing the amused staring. Great.

'_Please let him be dense.' _I silently thought, _'Please don't let Road rub off on him.' _

I didn't need it. God knew I didn't need it. Not now. No more embarrassing—_and untrue_—questions. Thank you very much.

Not that they'd listen.

Did they ever?

"A_lleeeen_!" Suddenly I was jerked to the side—against Lavi's chest—against the wall—and suddenly _very, very awkward_—and Road pranced straight to the Beansprout.

'_At least he got the damn door closed' _I mused as she tried to cling onto his arm—like she probably always did—before Tyki roughly dragged her back.

"Now, now, Road. Show some manners." He chided in a disturbingly gentle—but _humorous_—tone.

"But he's my boyfriend! And I _love him_!"

Allen flinched.

'_I'm not thinking of why. I'm not, I'm not I'm—' _I tensed when I felt a hand brush something it was _not_ supposed to touch, and glared up at Lavi. One hand was firm at my side but the other was behind me _somewhere_.

"Let me _go_." I hissed.

He did. With an apologetic grin that nearly shouted an "I'm sorry."

And I had to accept it. Had to, because a second later all eyes were on us. Road looked amused, the Beansprout just…was the Beansprout and—

_**Tyki's jealous streak runs pretty deep**_

Roads words slammed me in the face.

_**If he even has a small inkling…**_

Did this count as that?

But I had seen it. His jaw set, just—not visibly, almost—a little broader. Like he was gritting his teeth and—_'and why the hell am I noticing this?'_—I didn't need to know—and—

"What did you want, Road?" Thankfully Allen broke the uneasy silence.

"W_ell_," and Road was more than willing to play along, "Tyki jus' got a text message from Sheryl saying that he'd _better_ get me home or _else_!" she waved her arms in a frantic motion, "An' I just wanted ta ask ya if you wanted to come by an' see him again! Y'know, like a sleep over—"

"Except not." It was almost like Tyki was reminding her of something, "You know he won't approve."

"Ah, well, um—" the Beansprout tried to get a word in, but he never had a chance. Road cut him off before he could say anything relevant.

"Oh _buuut_!" She latched, _gently_, onto Allen's arm in a very possessive way, "he _liked_ Allen the last time they met!"

Tyki sighed, "Well for one you'll be over at my house—" he thought that over for a moment, "—though _why_ Sheryl is there in the first place, I have no idea—" then he quickly switched back on topic, "—and two. I'll be watching you."

Their eyes narrowed at the exact same time.

'_A staring contest? How childish.'_

But I had gotten in one before. I couldn't—

"Fine. I don't see a problem with _that_." Suddenly she sounded overly cheerful, with a smile as wide—so wide that it was almost creepy—as she could manage, plastered all over her face, "Why don't you invite _Lavi_?" She turned to look over at us again, "An' Lavi can invite _Kan-da_ and we can all have a sleep over!"

…Oh _hell_ no.

I opened my mouth to decline but unfortunately _Lavi _cut me off before I could say a damn thing.

"Eh, well actually—that doesn't sound half bad." I glared up at him and he glared down at me, "I mean—think about it, it'll be fun!" _for him maybe_, "And plus, we don't have to worry about how to get to University since your car's totaled!"

"At no fault of my own." I hissed out, and for some reason that made him nervous—and his hand, still close to me, for some ungodly reason, brushed lightly against the small of my back.

Enough to tell me that maybe what he said before still applied now. If I said _no, _then what? What would happen then?

I really didn't like the prospect of someone watching me all night.

I sighed, "Fine."

This, more than anything, seemed to shock the Beansprout, "What?" I snapped and immediately he tensed—or tensed _more_ than he already was with Roads obvious death grip on his right arm.

"Ah…n-nothing." I half-expected him to say something—_anything_—a snide remark maybe. But _that_—that was just weak. "Um, Road, if you're going to squeeze my arm to death then use the other arm." And he tried to change subjects. Only Lavi tried to do that.

Something definitely happened.

Lavi's hand brushed against my back again as Road quickly apologized and switched arms, "Okay then—will you come?"

"I've—we _both_ have school tomorrow." He was trying to make up an excuse, "I don't think that'd be practical."

She immediately began to pout, "But how will you get to school if Cross isn't back by then?"

"I'll take the bus."

Her eyes narrowed, "The bus _stops_ here?"

Now he hesitated, "Ah, well, n-no but…"

"And besides, you don't look to good either! Someone _has_ to take care of you!" Well _she _certainly had a way with bringing things out into the light.

'_But at least now I'll know what the hell happened.' _He wouldn't _not_ tell her, _'Then again, he pretty much avoided her before so—'_

"I can take care of myself," it was almost as if that line was forced, "I've done it before, you don't have to worry."

Either Road would be like Lenalee and get the hell _mad _at him—in that quiet way of hers that everyone else noticed _except_ him—or she would accept that.

And, surprisingly enough, she _did_, "I know you can, I doubt it for _one_ second! But," now she was pouting, "I _want_ to worry about you!"

"Ah—w-well," now he was blushing, faintly, "wh-what if you catch whatever I have?"

Lavi snorted inwardly at this—I could feel it, and I was sure I was the only one who noticed—before shifting a bit and resting his arm, almost loosely, around my—

I shot him a glare and immediately he retracted his arm and stretched it. Yawning loudly, he asked, "Are y'two going to have a little lovers spat or are we gonna _go_."

"But I can't—" the Beansprout started.

"I agree with Road on this'n," he tilted his head slightly to the side, "There's no reason _not_ to go."

He opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then sighed, "Fine. But, how did you guys get here?"

"I drove." Tyki immediately answered, "Don't worry, my car is definitely big enough to fit three in the back. Though since you're sick…" he trailed off, as if trying to contemplate the—the _seating arrangement_—before finally coming to a conclusion, "Sheryl is most likely going to be fretting like a mother hen, so, Road, sit up front. You three in the back, sadly."

_What_?

I hadn't expected that.

"Aww, but I wanna sit next to Allen!"

"It's fine with me." Lavi immediately agreed, "I can make sure these two don't kill each other in the back seat."

For some reason I _really_ didn't feel like that was the reason. No. In fact, I felt that _that_ reason was the farthest one. Lavi _did not_ want to sit in front with Tyki.

And that goddammit bothered me.

'_He's jealous.' _I couldn't ignore that fact now—Tyki was staring at me in the same way he had earlier, as if he hadn't wanted Lavi to agree so readily and since he did even _he_ was starting to wonder why—

'_He's jealous, and it's because of…because of—' _I didn't want to think of why it was so hard to say. It shouldn't be. It wasn't like I _meant_ to make the guy jealous. It wasn't like I _liked_—

For whatever reason I did _not_ want to finish that sentence.

----------(about 15-30 minutes later, at Tyki's house)----------

"But papa! I _said_ I was sorry!" Road protested loudly. Loudly because I could hear her even in the bathroom with the water running. It had already been a good couple of minutes and she was still trying to get a word in from her father's _extremely_ incessant ranting.

It was taking a few minutes just to say _one thing_. And she was _still_ failing, and it would've been sad, but I knew _right_ when I stepped out of the bathroom I'd see Lavi, sprawled out on the couch—like he practically _lived_ here—with an outrageously goofy smile on his face. Because he thought it was _amusing_.

I couldn't keep washing my hands forever. They'd start to wonder what was taking me so long, and I didn't need that. Lavi'd think that was amusing too. I _really_ didn't need that. I quickly shut off the faucet before trying my hands—

But really, my timing was _bad_.

I had opened the door _right_ when the yelling got the loudest—right when the Beansprout just so _happened _to walk by.

And I hit him.

With the door.

_Square _in the face.

"Agh?!" His hand immediately flew to his face—it almost seemed to debate on whether to grab for his nose or his forehead—I was sure I hit both—but eventually it decided on his forehead as he stumbled backward.

"What the—" Lavi was up off the couch in an instant. He couldn't've seen me open the door, he was still facing the argument, but the kids scream was loud enough over the argument that that didn't really matter.

What mattered was, plus getting hit in the face with the damn _door_—which Lavi would make me apologize for, I just knew it—the Beansprout couldn't seem to get his balance. In fact he seemed to be _losing_ it more than _gaining_ it—and the floor was tile.

If he fell—depending on _how_ he fell—he'd get hurt even _worse_. Especially if he hit his head, and _dammit_ I did _not_ want to have to deal with that. Because then he'd really have to go to the hospital—speculation aside.

So I did the only remotely sensible thing—which was probably so goddamn not _like_ me but the consequences were worse if it actually _happened_—_'And I don't like the consequences.' _I kept telling myself, _'It's not like I'm worried about the stupid moyashi. Lavi is _not_ rubbing off on me.' _

No. He wasn't.

I grabbed onto his hand anyway. Managed to keep him from _fully_ falling. Well, enough so that he was sitting. But he flinched anyway—just from _that_.

Something definitely happened. It was _too_ obvious now.

"You okay?" I had to ask now, it wasn't like I could ignore it.

"What do _you_ think?" He hissed out, rubbing his forehead, "I think I'm—" then he paused and pulled his hand away from his forehead, "yup, just a little." He shifted, jerking his hand out of my grasp to help himself push off the floor—

But he didn't even get _that_ far.

"Really." He was looking at me now, and he looked nervous, "are you _okay_?"

"I think tha's an obvious question, Yuu." Lavi was next to him now, and he didn't seem to have any problems helping him up, "Ya smacked him in the face with th' door—of _course_ he isn't okay."

"I wasn't talking about that."

He still kept the smile. It didn't budge, not even an inch, and I had the sneaking suspicion that he _knew_ that that wasn't what I meant—and that I didn't—or rather, _wouldn't_—know that he'd know that and thus I'd think that he only meant what was obvious.

Which was me, slamming the door in the beansprout's face.

"Eh? Allen?! Are you okay?!" And of course Road chose that moment to make herself known—practically prancing over to us with exaggerated worry on her face. But again, Lavi didn't let her get too close to him.

Something definitely happened.

Or wait. That was obvious now. It was _what_ that still deluded me. Wasn't sure I wanted to know. Wasn't sure I entirely cared, but at this point if I _didn't_—even just for the sake of knowing what the hell it _was_ in the first place—

My head hurt.

---------(Lavi's POV)---------

He got it. Or at least he did a little bit. I could tell he got it when he said those words. What 'little bit' he got, though, he probably didn't even notice. Or if he did it'd hit him later, maybe tomorrow in the middle of class—or some other completely pointless time where it really wouldn't the hell _matter_ as much as it would now.

It was amusing. The bad timing—he had_ always_ had bad timing. Sometimes it felt like he _planned_ it, but I knew he didn't.

He was smart. But not that smart.

'_He isn't like_—'

"I think he needs an icepack." I cut that thought off, smiling worriedly up at Road, "Could ya go get one?" I was more than aware that she was alternating between giving _me_ the evil eye, and shooting one at Kanda.

Thankfully he didn't seem to notice, but I knew he would eventually. And he'd get mad. He got mad at the worst possible times too. Over the littlest things.

'_That's just the way he is.' _

"Ice? He needs ice?" Road repeated my statement, like she hadn't heard me, "Oh! Okay! I'll be right back!" She shot Kanda another venomous look before slipping past us into the relatively large kitchen. I heard her open a cabinet drawer—the crinkling of wrappers, and the clinking of glasses and dishes, before inevitably she called out, "Ty_ki_ where're the plastic bags?"

It hadn't occurred to me, but Tyki was watching us. Me. Especially me. Then they'd flit to Allen, whom he didn't know, and then to Kanda. They lingered on Kanda—he still didn't notice—almost like they were—

'_It'd be worse if he wasn't here.' _I reminded myself, _'He made the mistake of trying to find me. If I don't goddammit keep him _with_ me then—then…' _

He would wonder. They would wonder. He would watch. They would, inevitably, watch too. Then he would make connections, anything-- anything, to make sure he knew where he was.

Then he'd ask questions.

I wasn't stupid.

The Noah Family was _never_ entirely good. Not entirely evil—but they had their moments.

I inwardly sighed.

"_Tyki baka! Where the hell're the fucking bags?!" _

That got Kanda's attention.

"Road! Watch your language!"

"But papa!"

"I said," Sheryl appeared next to Tyki in an instant, "_watch_ your language! Tyki," Tyki tilted his head slightly to the side, still never taking his eyes entirely off of Kanda, "you honestly expect me to allow you to watch my precious daughter when you don't condone that kind of behavior?" He looked appalled, but almost like he was appalled of _being_ appalled.

"_Tyki did say that they were the only thing they had, though.' _I remembered the faint memory—well, okay, it was fresh and there and it was actually a _phone_ conversation—

'_**Well yes—ah, oh dear, that's Sheryl?' **_

It had been when I first got to know him.

I remembered asking him _who_ Sheryl was.

'_**Oh? He's my older brother.' **_I could imagine him smiling in that scene every time, _**'We grew up together.' **_

Then I remembered the stagnant pause as I asked the general question. And his reply—for all Tyki was, and wasn't, and should _probably _work on. That was one thing I wouldn't change.

'_**We are all we have. I'm sure you've heard rumors of the death of my parents. Unplanned. Unnecessary. But it happened. We were all we had after their deaths, until the Earl found us.**_ _**' **_

I could imagine then, a different, more broken, kind of smile.

'_**I'm sure you know the feeling.' **_

---------------------------------------------------------

…**Err**…**oops? –blinks- -then laughs- That seriously did **_**not**_** end the way I intended for it to. Heck, I didn't even plan to put in Lavi's POV. Or anything about Tyki. But hey, I did, and now there're probably MORE questions added to the stack—and I had so much fun writing it XD **

**(oh yes—the italicized sentence Road says is her speaking in another language. Just in case that confuses anyone. You can pick the language.)**

**As Always, Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review! –hugs to all-**

**-Harmony283 **


	14. Nothing

**And the only time I can seriously get to work on this is over Winter Break (that's seriously how busy they kept us at school, not counting the computer issues that've been wrecking havoc upon, well, what they wreck havoc on o.o). Bleh, sorry this is so late, but I didn't want to put out something extremely short/rushed so…yeah. But here it is! A Christmas Present (one could say). Basically this is my attempt to continue the last chapter…not sure how well I did (never am, when there's a break between the chapters) but I hope you like it! (Also, Cross's POV at the end again…showing a scene that might be important later on. Miiiiiight…) **

**Note: There's no such thing as a stupid question, so I'll ask this here. What happens when you get an anon. review, the person doesn't give you their email address (or another contact info), you'd **_**really**_** love to reply back (because either they were unclear, or they didn't get something, and you want to set them straight so they aren't confused/you aren't confused/they don't feel like an idiot later/etc) but the thing is, the fic was a oneshot. What do you do? –would really like an answer-**

**------------------------------------------------------------------ **

**Lavi's POV **

I hadn't known what to say at the time. He had just told me all of that—and then he _assumed_, even though he didn't know a damn hell thing about me. I couldn't tell him that I _didn't_ know the feeling. How could I? I never even _knew_ my parents.

Just caretaker, after caretaker. In Jiji's attempts to train me and to keep me reasonably human at the same time. I didn't know who he was doin' it for. When I asked he always hit me. Or made me do _more_ work—

It was no wonder that I always slept in class. With _those_ lessons at night, how else was I going to get any sleep in?

I mentally tried to shake those thoughts away as Sheryl continued to chastise Tyki—which was really, _really_ amusing on the account that it never really happened. Ever. Almost amusing enough to laugh, but then they'd ask why I was laughing. I didn't want someone who could chew even _Tyki_ out chewing me out as well.

'_and he's Road's father.'_ The thought stuck firmly in my mind, _'If he can deal with her _and_ Tyki then—'_

"Brother, I do believe you're sounding like a mother hen." Tyki apparently cut Sheryl off before sighing loudly, "I _told_ you she learns that at school."

"Y'know I don't like it when you talk about me like I'm not _here_." Road shouted from inside the kitchen. I heard a few pots and pans clatter to the floor as she continued her search for plastic bags.

"Well I can't see you," Tyki called back before turning to face Sheryl again, "Like I was saying—if you want her to stop then take her out of school. Which you won't do."

Sheryl looked a _little_ miffed that he was talking back, "No. No I won't."

"Then deal with it." I wanted to laugh at the smug expression on his face, but I knew now wasn't the time to. He hardly ever wore any expression—much less one like _that_, and it was almost…almost _comforting_ to see a human emotion on his face for once.

Not that lust and jealousy didn't count. They just weren't, well—

"Found it!" Road shouted from in the kitchen before, a few seconds later, the sound of glass cracking against tile could be heard. A few seconds after that, and a loud 'whump'

She had fallen. Probably from the counter. Which meant Tyki put the bags up high. Which_ why_ he would do that I didn't—

Not that it mattered. She was probably crying now. Or cursing under her breath. And suddenly I had to drag Allen to the side as Sheryl shot past us.

"Oh! Oh! Road, dear, are you okay?!" His voice—high pitched and worried—

Definitely a daughter complex.

'_Creepy…'_ but I shook the humorous—if a bit disturbing—thought out of my head. Yeah Allen was hurt—it was why Road was in the kitchen looking for the bags to _begin_ with. But now _she_ was hurt too, _'It's just one thing after another isn't it?' _

Apparently, from the expression on Yuu's face, he thought the same exact thing—and he was trying not to care.

Trying but failing a little bit. If not for curiosities sake.

I mean—who _wouldn't _be curious in this situation? A little morbid, but at least it wasn't like those traffic accidents—_which I was in one—_where someone died—_and someone did die_—and you couldn't look away.

Jiji said it was normal.

Didn't like to think human's were that desperate for entertainment, but—

"You're bleeding! You're bleeding!" Sheryl's voice—high pitched and frantic—cut off my train of thought, "Tyki! Get in here _now_!"

"Coming, coming," but it didn't look like Tyki _wanted_ to come. Or go. Go. Yes. Go was the word—not come. Come was too much like—

'_Bad mental images.' _I blinked a few times, trying to clear the image from my head, "Jeez, seems like everyone's gettin' hurt, eh?" I tried to say, hoping that actually _talking_ would stop my brain from going down that far.

"Tch," to my surprise it was Kanda who responded, "Yourself included?"

I grinned lazily up at him, "Well yup, I suppose I'd be on th' list too! An', Allen, an' now Road—but what's about you?"

His eye twitched, "_what_ about me?"

"You aren't planning some freakishly crazy accident so you can be added to the list too?" For all the lightheartedness I tried to have in my voice, the question still came out way too serious.

"Hope…not." This time Allen was the one who responded, "We don't _n-need_ another hurt person."

"Like hell I'd be that clumsy." Yuu spat back, sending a glare down at the white-haired bean sprout, "I'm not you."

Allen squeezed his nose once, before using me as a prop to help himself up, "Right. You aren't. I don't want anyone to be 'clumsy' like me—not even _you_."

I knew, and he knew, and Kanda probably sorta-kinda knew that he was mentioning _that_. With Cross—wherever the hell that guy _was_ now—and the bedroom, and he couldn't _not_ know about his bad timing.

"I sure as hell _hope_ not." But he was taking the literal meaning. He didn't want to think about it. He proved that more when he turned his gaze away, towards Sheryl's constant fretting—"Where's the ice? No? The bandages? Where the _hell_ do you keep anything in this house?!"—and wouldn't look back.

"I-I'll go see if I can help." Allen got this well enough, and staggered a moment before trying to walk in that direct.

"You sure? I mean—your nose isn't broken, is it?" he was still holding his nose, so I couldn't exactly tell if it was or not, but he wasn't bleeding. That was a plus.

"Not the worse I've been through." He smiled painfully down at me, "'sides—it's…she's…" I knew what he was going to say before it even fully left his mouth. He was just too embarrassed to really _say_ it—just like at the Diner.

I chuckled lightly, "I get it, I get it." He seemed relieved, "Go—go, she'll probably stop cryin' when you get in there." Which you could barely hear said crying over his loud—loud banter…and Tyki trying to defend his odd organizing habits—which he really _didn't_ organize but—

I chuckled again as Allen made his way down the hall, "I swear she must feel so loved right now."

"Annoying." Kanda muttered, turning his gaze away from their direction, back to…somewhere over my head, but not exactly at me.

"Annoying, eh?" I wondered aloud, "Maybe—for Yuu, cuz Yuu doesn't like to be _doted on_." I chuckled again at my own words and how, well, _true_ they were.

"And you _do_?" he ignored my use of his first name, and even so much as glanced down at me, "Doesn't surprise me." Oh. He looked away again, "You _are_ the stupid…stupid," he said one word under his breath that I couldn't quite catch, "_rabbit_."

"Tha's what people call me." I grinned back, "kinda stuck after the—"

"I _know_." He cut me off, "Tch, don't need to tell me it twice."

"And could you two," it was Tyki, he sounded a bit annoyed—in that lazy sort of way of his that only he could manage to pull off—about I'd guess the situation, "Get some towels."

"Towels?"

"Lavi, you know where they are."

Kanda shot me a dirty look, I grinned, sheepishly, "'kay." I slowly pushed myself up off the floor and straightened up, "Hall closet, hall closet," I hummed, turning quickly before making my way over to the…well, it couldn't really be called a _closet_. It was just…an indented wall space that just so happened to have a door. And shelves. And really, really _white_ towels. No. wait.

I grabbed a brown one off the top shelf and turned around. To my surprise—or maybe not so much—Yuu had followed me, curious, probably, to see where I got the towel from. I shot him another grin before tossing it at him, "Go give this to 'im."

He looked like I had just asked him to commit murder.

I laughed, "Don't worry! They won't bite!"

He shot me another dirty look before swiftly turning around and stalking back towards the kitchen.

…Or at least. I _hoped_ they wouldn't.

-----(**Kanda's POV—roughly 30 minutes later) **

"_Yes_, I'll make sure she goes to bed at a reasonable time. Now would you _please_ get out of my house." I would've laughed, had laughing been something I did—and not been called crazy for.

'_If they don't bite then they sure as hell can scream bloody murder…in the quietest damn voice I've ever heard.' _I let out a silent sigh, leaning even further against the couch—more like a _loveseat_, but the connotation was _not_ something I wanted to think about—which, thankfully, I was just sharing with Lavi. The beansprout was over on the other couch—love seat—_couch_—holding an icepack to his nose, with Road, similarly, holding an icepack, but to her ankle instead.

No. The Noah family didn't _bite_. They stared. And growled, in that sort of way that was ten times _worse_ than biting.

And Lavi was completely fine with it. Leaning back, with the same lazy grin, head lolling a bit as he stared at some unseen pattern on the _ceiling_—

'_How the hell can he concentrate in a place like this?' _but then it didn't really look like he was concentrating to begin with—

He noticed I was staring at him, though, before I could even turn away, and he focused that ridiculously goofy grin on me.

"_Yes_—look, brother," Tyki's voice rose, slightly, from the doorway, "Do I _need_ to have a restraining order?"

There was a horrified squeak that I could only assume was Sheryl

"Exactly." I didn't know what he did, but apparently it worked, "Now have a good night _brother_—I'll make sure everyone gets to school tomorrow that's," he paused, for some reason, and I knew even if he couldn't see us—or me—that he was looking in the beansprout's direction, "able and willing."

"Isn't it willing and able?"

"Same thing, brother." It was almost strange the way he used the term 'brother'. Not that I had any siblings that I—that I—

I let out a slightly louder sigh, which Lavi responded to, "You okay, Yuu-chan?"

I felt my eye twitch, "W_hat_?"

"D'ahhh, I mean Yuu—err, Kanda," he immediately corrected through a nervous laugh.

"Fine. I'm fine." I answered tersely, feeling my eyetwitch again.

"You don't _look_ fine." That was Road. I didn't want to snap at her. For all the fact that she was Allen's girlfriend--

"Don't worry, he's always like this." Allen answered her, "now's no different."

My eyes narrowed and focused on the white haired teen, "What was that?"

"No_thing_," his voice was slightly muffled but a lot clearer than I thought it would be, "you just act like you have a stick up your ass all the time."

Immediately Lavi's hands found me, and pinned me to the couch, "Oh no—we are _not_ startin' this here." I was pretty sure he was only aiming this at me.

"Didn't want to come." Allen pointed out.

"And you forced—"

"We ran _into_ each other, remember?" Lavi cut me off before I could say much more.

"At the bar." Road added on, "Which reminds me—hey Tyki!"

"Y_esss_?" he called from the front door—why he was still there when I was sure Sheryl was gone, I didn't know.

'_Not that I care.' _

Because I didn't. This time. Really.

"Don't ya think we should call someone? Y'know, Lulubell, or Veronica—just to let them know where we are?"

"I'm sure Sheryl will call them." He answered back.

"And the reason he'd go out of his way to call them is _because_?"

Tyki appeared in the entry-way, hand rubbing his forehead like he had an extremely large headache, "Because."

"Did you even tell him we went to the bar in the_ first_ place?" Tyki dropped his hand and she laughed, "Or do y'just want to be lazy?"

"As lazy as you seem to be." He shot back.

"I am—"

"Actually," the beansprout cut her off, "I think I might need to call Cross, an' then Lenalee and Komui, to make sure they got home."

…to make sure they got _home_?

'_Didn't he see them leave?' _I couldn't help but wonder. Lavi seemed to know though, _'then again, he knows everything.' _

Okay. Not really, but he sure as hell knows more than most people.

"That's a good idea," Road immediately agreed, "Lenalee did sound kinda upset when I talked to her," she shot him a look, to which he returned a hesitant smile, "but as for Cross…if he wasn't home when _we_ got there, what makes you think he'll be home now?"

"Uh," he actually seemed to think that over for a moment, "because he's like that?"

"And because he's like what he's like," Lavi butted in before he could get out another word, "what makes y'think he'd be overly worried that you went bye-bye for a while? Doesn't strike me as the overprotective type, correct me if I'm wrong."

that made him laugh, a little, "That's true," he didn't sound like he wanted it to be though, "But just in case—I mean, he _could_—"

"If he went and got wasted." I decided to tag on for whatever reason.

He shot me a dirty look, which, for whatever reason, disappeared a second later, "Actually, yeah, he probably _is_ at a bar right now. I don't know if he has his cell phone with him—"

'_Because you sure as hell don't have yours.' _

I shut that thought up. That had nothing to do with now. Except talking about cellphones. Which had something to do with contacting people but—

"Would he pick up?" That was Lavi, with his hands still on my shoulders, and something told me that _something_—something was off.

"No." He almost sounded sad at that.

"Then why call?" Road leaned up against him, and he flinched, "If he's not going to pick up—"

"Never said I wanted him to."

She placed a finger against his lips, "Hush. I know. But if he won't pick up, then what makes you think he'll even _check_? You told me once that the reason you checked your cell phone so much was because _he_ never did, right?"

He gave her an odd look, which probably meant, _no_ I didn't tell you _that_—how the hell did you _know_. Omitting the 'hell' of course. Stupid beansprout.

"Exactly," apparently she read the look completely different and grinned, "You're so easy to read."

'_Apparently not.' _But then, what did I know?

He gave in, though, "Fine, I won't call him. But Lenalee still needs to know I'm okay an' all."

"So you didn't see them leave?" Tyki wondered, "That's unusual, don't you get off at the same time?"

Everyone shot him a look.

"Road told me your work schedule," he coughed, uncomfortably, "that and it's a popular restaurant. You're bound to—"

Road's eyes narrowed, "Okay, Tyki-baka, we get it."

He coughed again, but this time Lavi spoke, "I agree—y'get off at the same time, were you in the backroom or somethin?"

"Not exactly."

"How can you _not exactly_ be there?" Road questioned, scooting even closer to him, furthering the uncomfortable aura that somehow filtered into every damn useable space in this—

And Tyki was staring at me, again. Or maybe Lavi—since he was _right next to me_—with his hands on my _shoulders_—and again…those words kept running through my mind.

Jealousy. Jealous. Was he? Or was I—

"I mean—I was _in_ the backroom for a while but," the beansprout laughed, again, uneasily, "but I would've seen her regardless—all her stuff is back there, and she hadn't clocked out yet when I was back there, so…"

"So when did she leave?" Lavi somehow managed to make the question sound like part of a normal conversation, "I mean, you both have school tomorrow, so it's not like Komui would let her work later than a certain hour…"

"And again, how could you not see her? Didn't she say _bye_ to you?"

For some reason or other that caused a pained look to cross over his face, which again, reminded me of something else. More particularly—he was _dating_ Road now. Not Lenalee. Lenalee knew this—regardless of if he told her separately, or if the first time she officially heard it was when he told _us_—and if she truly had feelings for him then—

He must have screwed up.

He _was_ an idiot.

But at least he wasn't being an idiot _on purpose_—or at least—he didn't know he hurt her. Or maybe he did.

No. Definitely no.

I felt Lavi's hands press harder against my shoulders and I flinched, "That _is _kinda unusual for Lenalee, did somethin' upset her?"

He couldn't even look us in the eye at that.

"Did you say something—" Road tried, but stopped half-sentence and pulled away slightly, "Ah."

Again he wouldn't look at her.

"Not something then." Lavi concluded, "Isn't that sad, Kan-da?" I blinked, dumbly, up at him. He was bringing me into the conversation _now_?

I turned my head to the side, "How should I know?"

"Oh! You know!" he said, matter-of-fact-like, with that same stupid, _stupid_ grin, "When someone doesn't say that _one_ thing that you really, really want them to say and you're all disappointed afterwards."

I turned back to him and just stared, "No. I don't know."

For a moment an uneasy silence stretched through the room, the unease mixing easily with tense, uncomfortable air…as we just sat, me, and Lavi on one side—Lavi with his _stupid _smile, and hands, pressing against my shoulders—and _why is that the only thing I can concentrate on?_

I couldn't find the answer.

Thankfully, I didn't have to.

Just like in the movies—the phone rang. Or in this case, Tyki's phone rang.

"Ah, I'll get that." He didn't sound too particularly thrilled about that, "Road, why don't you show them to the two guest rooms. Split it however you like."

Oh. Great. Now the reality of _I'm sleeping over_—or a sleep over, which, granted, I never _had_—hit. Like an anvil. Or some other hard object—

And Lavi was _still _grinning like the proverbial idiot.

"Okaaaay!" Road said through a huge smile, shoving herself up off the couch before rapidly turning, and pulling the beansprout up with her, "It's this-a-way! They're right across the hall from each other an', oh," she was already at the hallway—which I assumed was where the bedrooms where—with him in tow before she seemed to realize something, and stopped.

"What's up?" Lavi wondered, finally unpinning my shoulders from the couch to stand up.

She gave him a look, then she looked at me, "I hope you two don't mind sharing."

He blinked.

I blinked.

"That's fine, isn't it Yuu?" he turned to me, holding his hand out.

I shot him a glare, slapping his hand away as I stood up, "We share an apartment after all." I finished.

She gave us another look, "No, no I meant—share, as in, share a _bed_."

…'_What?' _

She grinned sheepishly, "One guest room has two beds, an' the other has one. I…can't exactly sleep with Allen, cuz dad would surely hear about it and I'd be _scolded_." She didn't sound too upset about it, though, and the beansprout actually looked relieved, "So we're taking the room with two beds. So that leaves one. Unless one of y'wants to sleep on the couch."

I opened my mouth, fully ready to be the one saying 'I'll stay _right_ here'—but of course, the idiot rabbit cut me off.

"Don't worry 'bout it! It's just fer one night anyway," he looked over at me, "You aren't gonna curl up in a ball an' die, are ya?"

I shot him a glare, which he returned with a grin before turning back to Road, "See? We're all good."

'_No we are _not_ all good.' _I silently fumed for about half a second before--

I roughly jerked my hand—or at least _tried_ to—from the red head's grip, "I can _walk_ on my own, thank you." I hissed out.

He just grinned, "Oh c'mon."

"I _will_ come," I decided _not_ to listen to the insane snickering of Road from a few steps ahead of us, "I am _not_ incapable of walking."

"Tha's exactly why." He sounded completely serious, too, which almost threw me off guard. Almost, "It'll be easier this way, trust me."

I would've asked, _'easier to do what?' _but I didn't want to know what Road—or, worse, the _beansprout_—and Tyki—would think to that.

Instead, I turned away, jerking my hand—this time successfully—out of his grip, "Fine." I'd ask him that later, behind closed doors. In the room that we would be sharing for _one_ night—and it almost seemed so trivial, but…

'_Does he kick in his sleep?' _

Or better yet

'_Do I kick in my sleep?' _

"Here's your room!" Road chimed, a splitting smile on her face as she kicked open the slightly-ajar door to the room we would be sleeping in, "Make yourselves at home! We'll be across the hall in case you need anything!"

Then, just like that, we were being forced—or rather, _I_ was—and Lavi wasn't making the process any less quick by grabbing my hand, yet again, and _tugging_ me—in. A second later and the door slammed, loudly, behind us.

We were alone. I could hear Road laughing through the door. Saying something, about something being 'fun'—and the beansprout asking _why_.

My attention snapped away from the door, immediately to the redhead, when he walked over to the large bed—really, it was _huge_—and plopped down on one end. He gave me a steady look for about half a second, before bursting into a loud—_loud_—laughter, "You kill conversations—" he chuckled, "I _swear_."

I shot him a glare, "Well what did you _expect_?"

"Nothin'."

I opened my mouth—fully ready to tell him to _stop_ laughing—that it wasn't that funny—and what about _him_ dragging _me_ into the conversation—it was _his_ fault but—

But _that_.

"Nothing?"

He stretched his arms over his head before falling back, "Not…nothin' just, I expected it."

So he expected it, "Really." For some reason or other I couldn't get my legs to move.

"Mhm," he let out a content sigh, "This bed is _so_ comfy!" he sat up for a moment, long enough to look at me, at least, before saying, "C'mover here!"

My eyes narrowed as he bounced slightly on the mattress, "It's bouncy! And soft! It's great!" I didn't really have a fondness for overly soft mattresses—

'_But it's not like I want to sleep on the floor either._

I let out a sigh, forcing my legs to move, which, thankfully, they did. I wouldn't sit down next to him, though. Even when he patted the space beside him, "Well? Are y'just going to stand there?"

I shrugged.

"Y'can't sleep standing," he sounded like he was _scolding_ me, "and y'_aren't_ going to sleep on the floor—couch—or anythin' else—" I felt my mouth twitch, "and _I'm_ not gonna sleep on the floor either—"

"Then why don't you go bother Tyki?" I didn't know _why _I said it, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind sharing a bed with you—you _are_ after all, his," then I stopped. Not because I didn't know exactly what he _was_ to him—we had already played that game before—but it was more the expression on his face.

"Why would I bother 'im when _you're_ here?" despite the confused look on his face, his words were more suspicious than anything, "Didn't I say it's easier this way?"

"_What's_ easier this way?" I finally asked, thankful that _he_ was being serious—and that Road wasn't here to take it down the gutter—and thus he most likely wouldn't think of _that_, which, granted, I didn't know _why_ I was thinking about _that_ meaning—it was almost as bad as what that girl could think up of but—

Thankfully Lavi cut off that thought before it turned into an excuse, "You honestly wanna know?" He sounded curious, but still…suspicious. Or something.

I nodded my head.

He grinned.

And suddenly he reached forward—grabbing my wrist—tugging me forward—then I felt the mattress—it really _was_ soft, like he said—under my back—and…

He was on top of me, both wrists pinned above my head. And grinning. He was _grinning_—he didn't _grin_ like…like _that_. Not like—not like _that_—

"It's a heck of a lot easier," he continued, leaning down closer, "to do _this_."

------(**Cross's POV**)----------

I was soaked. I _knew_ I was soaked. Didn't need anyone tellin' me that—and _dammit_, they didn't need to stare. What they _needed_ to stare at was that fuckin' kid over in the corner. Huddled, in a ball, shivering from the same damn rain I just ran through. Hell, I almost felt sorry for the kid.

_That_ was the alcohol speaking.

But then. Why the hell was I drinking in the _first_ place? I sighed, ran a hand through my sopping hair before taking another sip of the ridiculously cheap beer, "What the _fuck_ am I even doing here?"

I ignored the jumpy waitress who turned to look at me. One tired glare sent her running off. But she _was_ the pretty little thing. Not worth the go but—

"It's not that I think it's them." Immediately my attention zeroed in on the boy, still shaking, he was talking to himself—or to his cellphone, which I couldn't damn see—and he sounded like he was about to cry, "I let the one you asked me to let go, go." He paused for a moment, "describe him? But you know what he looks—" the boy flinched, "—fine. Black hair, long, in a ponytail. Dark eyes too—probably from Japan or at least very Asian."

'_Racist.' _I snickered at the thought, but the description intrigued me. The boy said _'he'_—a he with long hair…

Couldn't help starin' down at a strand of my own. I probably needed a hair cut—

It was _black_—the hair was _black_—I tried to gear my mind in the right direction again. Shit. Wasn't working.

'_Ah hell,'_ I took another sip, _'Who do I know who's Asian, got a perchance to keep his hair in a ponytail, and has dark eyes?' _

Could narrow it down to five people. Then to two that _weren't_ flings.

But why would _that_ kid know either of them?

"Like I _said_—y-you _know_ what he looks like." The boy sounded halfway between irritated and scared out of 'is wits, "and I let him go. He definitely couldn't be guilty—he _doesn't know_—"

Again. A pause.

The boy flinched, "she was my sister." All at that moment his voice changed. All in that split second of silence and he wasn't scared the hell out now. "Of _course_ I know _that_. You—you—never mind." He quickly dropped whatever he had been going to say, rubbing his eyes with his free hand before dropping it to his side and exclaiming, slightly louder, "I need to go."

Then, abruptly, he jerked the phone away from his ear, rubbed his eyes again, shot someone—didn't know the hell _who_, his eyes weren't the hell focusing—a dirty look, before getting up on shaky legs.

He didn't get very far before he had to stop. Hiccupping out a sob, he half-leaned against a vacant chair a few tables away from the entrance. Unfortunately I was one or two tables _away_ from said entrance so he was nearly quite literally in front of me.

And my brain hurt.

"Oi," and my mouth decided to ignore that fact and talk on its own. Got the kids attention well enough, "You okay, kid?"

He shot me a familiar dirty look, "I'm f-_fine_. Shouldn't I b-be ask-king _you_ that?"

I looked down at the half empty—incredibly—_incredibly_ cheap—drink in my hand before shrugging, "Eh, 'least I came 'ere an' am doing what I set out t'do. _You_ on the other hand—" I eyed him for a moment, "—can't even get your damn footing."

"Well I'm_ so_ s-sorry."

"An' you're stutterin'."

"I can't _help_ that." His voice sounded like he wanted to be angry at me. But. His eyes continued to tear up profusely.

"'course you can't." I agreed. Hated it when kids cried. 'specially the ones where I didn't even know who the hell they _were_—much less cared the damn hell enough about. Allen was one thing but—

I quickly took a swig of the alcohol.

But his image still stayed in my head. _Shit_.

"I-I'd _like_ it if a co-complete—and _drunk_—s-stranger didn't _say _it like that."

"Say what?" I was more than a little aware that my voice was just a little slurred, "y'stutter if y'stutter. I was bein' serious."

He gave me a confused look, "S-Serious? Yeah r-right."

I pretty much knew then that whatever the hell I said—either it was gonna be the damned wrong thing and he was goin' to break down in tears—or it was the damn hell _right_ thing an' he was goin' to break down in tears. So instead of saying anything I motioned to the open booth in front of me, "Sit before y'damn collapse."

Just like I thought, the tears began to build up—almost to the point of spilling over, but not entirely. _Now_ I at least could ask what the fuck was wrong without 'im goin' all—

"Now what the," I caught myself—this was a damn _kid_ here—"hell's wrong with you?"

The kid let out a sob, before reigning it in, "Why do _you_ care?"

"Cuz shit happens." He flinched, "An' in case y'didn't notice, yer in a _bar_ so you—cryin' an' sitting her with _me_'s gonna look kinda wrong no matter which way y'fuck it."

So much for watching my language. I knew a _certain someone_ would scold the hell outta me fer it but—

"Y-You don't really h-have the _best_ w-way of talking to p-people." An' the kid pointed it out too, but he wasn't crying as hard. Not that I could say he was crying to begin with.

"Well y'could say I don't give a damn, cuz I don't." I decided to answer him as he wiped away whatever tears were still there, "But I guess I should dammit care—cuz of what the hell this _looks like_…like I said."

"Like you," he hiccupped, "said." He was somehow able to look me in the face after this, "But again…why should I _tell_ you? Unless you're willing to tell me why you're here. Sopping wet."

"Just like you."

"Just like me." He actually agreed.

"Was out takin' a walk," I lifted the glass to my lips but didn't take a sip, "then it started t'rain, and I continued t'walk. End of story."

He didn't look like he believed me. For a moment I wanted to ask why but—

"You're Cross aren't you?"

I slammed the glass back down against the tabletop, "An' why would the little boy want to know?"

He bristled at the terminology, "I've heard of you."

I grinned, "from _who_?" Just to see what he said. Just to see—

"A girl,"

"A girl?" I laughed, "I know a many of sweet things."

He glared, then sighed, "I mea-nt…"

"The one you were talking to on the phone?" I guessed, and he almost froze. Almost.

"Well," he hesitated, "I don't think I should tell you that."

"And I don't think I should tell _you_ if I'm Cross or not, even _if _you've heard of me." I shot back, grinning and lifting my drink to my lips once more.

"That's a mute point." He didn't waste _any _time coming up with a response, "Considering I'd know what you look like anyway."

"And?" I questioned, tipping my head back a bit, "I could have an evil twin brother out there."

I saw him blink, dumbly, at me through the bottom of the glass. "What?"

"Don't you think _you'd_ be the evil twin?" And then, suddenly, he _smiled_. Not a big one, by any means, a shy one, by a ton, and then, he let out a soft chuckle, leaning his head against the cool tabletop, "why the _heck_ am I talking to you?"

I set the glass down again, but continued to lean back against the worn fabric of the booth, "Beats me—why th' hell 're y'here to begin with?"

I didn't think he'd catch that I had asked almost the exact same question just a second—hour—minute—millisecond—_what the crap_—ago, but, unsurprisingly, he did, "Didn't I already answer that?"

"Nope." Because he didn't. Not really.

"I'm pretty sure I did." He lifted his head so that he was resting on his chin now.

"Then y're going to have t' repeat it." I lifted my glass again and sipped it again.

"_Why_?"

I almost choked. The fuckin' _why_ question. Why, why, _why_.

Always needed to come up with a damn answer, an' I didn't think 'cuz I said so'd work for the kid. So instead, I took a sip, slammed the drink back down, and said, "Because it's th' rules of the game."

"Game?" He wondered, dazedly, his eyes—for _whatever_ reason—focusing on my drink, "When did this turn into a game?"

"Since I said so."

"Which was?"

"When y'sat down."

He shot me an odd look, "But you never _said_ anything."

I grinned back, "So? 'Said it in my head."

His eyes narrowed, "Right."

My grin split a little wider, "Right."

A flash of lightning illuminated the window—dazzling in comparison to the soft glowing, and now insanely _flickering_, lights of the bar—making our shadows stretch across the tiled flooring before, of course—

Just like in _all_ those movies…

The power went out.

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**-coughs- Yes I know I'm evil for leaving it off there (Kanda's POV, I mean). Um, but, I said I'd put some fluff in—and nothing's better than suspenseful fluff, because then it makes you **_**think**_** about it, and…all that, right? Right? (or Not? Don't hurt me! X.x) Over all, though, I'm really happy with this chapter. Especially the, well, suspensful parts. And Cross's POV was fun XD (mostly because I actually wrote that part out a long time ago--and, ooh, look it's raning outside...and thundering...and I'd better hurry so I don't lose internet connection/power/etc...). **

**As always, Questions, Comments, Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review! I'd love hearing from you!**

**Happy Holidays~ **

**-Harmony283 **


	15. Awkward

**I seriously debated on how/where to start this chapter. Really I did. Heck, I originally wanted to leave out a scene, but wound up adding it in (since I had the **_**distinct**_** feeling many people would be very, very angry with me if I didn't). The only warning I'll give is, because it's added in, it's way more serious than what I had originally been going for (basically, the middle of the chapter). Second—since there was no easy way for me to write the whole scene—it's split, sometimes in excruciatingly short intervals, between Kanda and Lavi's POV, but it made the most sense that way, so I'm leaving it as is. Also, since I was going for **_**humor**_** originally, the middle of this chapter is definitely much lighter (in tone—or at least **_**I**_** think it is), so I'm sorry in advance if that irks anyone X.x –tried her best- But other than that—happy reading! **

**cubwub: **well no one says there's a problem with that. -smiles- And I guess by having to re-read the chapters (which thankyou for taking the time to do that, since a lot of people probably wouldn't) is another way of stressing that yes, this fanfic is confusing (and I mean for it to be that way--so if re-reading helps you at least a little, then re-read to your hearts content). Unfortunately with my schedule now, updating frequently isn't really an option, so often times I have to re-read some stuff as well. Also, if you want to see more of Lavi/Kanda, then I think you'll be happy with this chapter. (particularly the beginning), but of course the other character's ARE important, and they will have time slotted for them too (because I like a fanfic that has a plot with a pairing produced, and not pairing with the plot surrounding it, I've seen way too many of those, and after a while they get extremely boring). And of course, thanks so much for the review! -hugs- and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**TReA: **That's fine (being lazy sometimes, I mean -has issues with this site logging her out), and as you can see I _can _answer the anon. reviews in my Authors Notes, but I don't like to. There're mainly two reasons why I usually don't. One is, I forget. Sounds bad, yeah (and not that hard to miss –used to answer reviews this way all the time-), but considering I work on this from a different computer, I often don't _see_ the reviews again (which ones need replying to, etc) until I upload the chapter (so it's kinda a mute point). The second is it takes up space (which again, sounds bad, but I love typing up long winded review-replies, so I guess you could say it's my own problem XP). Again, I used to do it all the time, but I never got the feeling that the people I review replied for ever _read_ the review reply (if that makes sense). Just like I know some people who completely skip over the Author's Notes to get to the story. Don't have to count on it so much for this story (hopefully), but in the previous stories I'd do this for, hardly anyone ever read them, so I switched to the review-reply way (or PM way, or whatever it's called). But regardless, I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one too! And of course, thanks so much for the review! –hugs-

**IMPORTANT NOTE: I've actually decided to try my hand at the Poll option (on here)—so please take the chance to look at my profile and vote! (It might seem like an odd/overly vague question, but it'll become important later on) Of course, if you have any questions about the poll's topic/question (again, it'll be vague) just PM me/email me/etc. (since if people actually vote on the poll thing, then I might use it more often, since it's easier than asking a question here) **

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For a moment I could only lie there, staring up at him.

'_What did—what did?' _

My brain couldn't seem to catch up with what he said. It kept stopping, rewinding, and focusing on the _how_—_how_ did he get to here, from there, so fast—_how_ did he pin me to the bed so quickly—though maybe that should have been a _why_, too, but I didn't give a damn at the moment—but nothing more.

I couldn't dammit _think_, and now he staring at me like I was something to eat. _Not_ a pleasant feeling. Definitely not. And what's worse is I couldn't seem to let my mouth work. It would open one minute—only to snap shut a split second later. It was like I was _afraid_ to speak—even though I knew damn well what I'd say to the—to the—

Baka-Usagi.

Said rabbit let out a chuckle, "Aww, speechless are we?"

I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

And again, he laughed, "Y'know it's funny t'see you quiet like this." His laugh got louder, slightly, "Heck—if I knew this'd shut you up, I would'a done it sooner." He seemed to think over those words before saying, "But I 'ave before, haven't I?"—_but it wasn't serious—_"When we were kids—I'd tackle y'to the ground, y'remember, right?"

I found myself glaring, harder, at one spot across the room. I wouldn't answer. I couldn't answer. This was too—too awkward for conversation, especially the kind that just elongated it to the near-unbearable level.

"I'll take that as a yes," and now he was putting his words in my mouth, "y'were cute then too—but you'd yell like heck an' whack me upside the head." He let out a slightly lower chuckle, "actually, I dun' know why y'aren't doing it now, but I'm not complaining."

But what was _happening_ now?

"Tch,"

"He lives!" It was slightly surprised, but almost mocking the gesture, "Was wonderin' when you'd say a word."

"Sh-shut up." Dammit. I _stuttered_.

"Two words! Most commonly used as one—" it was like he was on a _game_ show.

What. The. Hell.

That's when I attempted to struggle, but his grip never loosened on my wrists. Not once. Not—

Then, lowly, he murmured, "And now you start struggling?" it was a question, but not really, "you should've done that from the beginnin',"

I had the stupidity to ask _why_.

"Cuz now I don't think I wanna let go." It was a simple truth, fact, whatever. And it—

He leaned down closer, "I mean, you aren't struggling."

_This isn't Lavi._

I don't know when, or, theoretically _how_—or maybe _why_, since that always seemed to work—that was possible. Or why—there's the why—that thought popped in my head. But it was there, hanging, glaring at me and—

I started struggling again, and again he tightened his grip, "Stop." I didn't recognize my own voice.

He didn't seem to recognize it either. And he definitely didn't stop. In fact, it made him faster, his head, dipping down—not to my face but—but…to my _neck_?

'_What?' _

And then I felt something—pressure—against my neck, followed by something familiar, and wet, over the skin and—that couldn't be—it couldn't be—

'_What the hell--?!' _I struggled, even harder, this time, and I felt his grip, slacken, slightly as he pulled away.

"Stop!" I managed out when he was far enough away.

And honestly, then, I didn't know what scared me more.

The way he looked.

Or the word he just asked.

"Why?"

-------(Lavi's POV)-------

What the _hell_ am I doing?

If I was someone else, that's the _first_ thing I'd ask. What. The. Hell. It wasn't like me—I had the hell more restraint than that but—

_Why_? _Why_ did I ask _why_? Even though I knew a _why_ question asking, well, the _why's_ about something else always canceled each other out. And it had nothing to do with the 2nd last letter of the alphabet.

-------(Kanda's POV)-------

My eyes widened, "_What_?" Now my voice was back, probably officially—the hell I knew—and it was normal.

And I didn't know what scared me more. The fact he asked such a—a _question_—or the fact that, just then, he didn't look like he knew why the hell he was asking it.

-------(Lavi's POV)-------

Doubt. Maybe. Surprise. Maybe. Shock. Maybe—but that was the same. They all weakened a person to a malleable state. In this case me and my grip. If I wanted I'd hold him here all night, I could do it and I know he wouldn't be able to fight. That was the damn _point_.

Doubt.

Damn did I hate that word.

And _damn _did he hit _hard._

"Shit—what?"

He was backing away from me now, and I had to think fast. "Calm down Yuu!" daggers, it felt like daggers—which I knew way too much about—"Can't you take a joke?"

"Joke?" he hissed, eyes, narrowing.

"I jus' wanted t'see how you'd react." I tried to laugh, it came out fine, "Y'know—and y'passed."

"I'd ask _why_ but—" he seemed to be regaining his voice, his…distant cover, just as quickly as I was losing whatever the hell made me _do_ that in the first place.

"Because I don't want it to happen to y'." It was the truth, at least, somewhat—but thank the…_whatever_…that I was able to think fast on my feet. "Like a safety precaution, so you'd know what to do."

"A…_safety precaution_?"

Well screw the thinking fast. Did no good if he saw damn through it. And the word choice—_damn_ I knew he wouldn't get it.

"I am _not_ a child in need of protecting."

But in a way he kinda was—not that I'd say _that_ out loud.

And hell, he proved it again—by—by—

Did I mention he could hit _hard_?

-------(Kanda's POV)-------

He is an idiot.

I don't think I've ever hit anyone other than _that person_, that hard in my life. Not even the Moyashi. Just that person.

Never expected it to be _that idiot_—but—

_That idiot_

-------(Lavi's POV)-------

My head hurts.

I can't see straight.

Aww, but, at least he looks worried now.

-------(Kanda's POV)-------

Maybe I _shouldn't_ have hit him that hard. Maybe.

Shit. He's bleeding, "Dammit," I hissed out," moving towards Lavi, only to have him push me away, "What—"

-------(Lavi's POV)-------

"Ice…pack." I could hear, across the hall—since he _dammit threw me against the fucking door_—the sound of the lock unlatching, and someone—_probably Road_—coming out into the hall.

Then, even further, the sound of dial tone, and, Tyki's familiar footsteps.

All I could do was grin, "Y-You hit hard, Yuu."

Was I glad to see regret?

-------(Kanda's POV—about 5/10 minutes later)-------

"That was not—_not_—" I started, glaring daggers at the redhead who was currently holding a fairly large icepack to his head. I couldn't finish the sentence, though. Not that I would. Or could, really.

There was no doubt in my mind, now, that Tyki _would_ in fact do something if he found out what—what _could_ have happened. Because it didn't happen.

There was no doubt in my mind that Lavi was an idiot. Not that I needed to be told that twice.

"I found a towel," Tyki murmured worriedly, walking over to Lavi and handing him the towel he had grabbed from the linen closet, "If it helps. I swear I didn't know I had one of those left."

"_Sure_ you didn't." I tensed as I felt Road stride—or more like limp—past me, "Give it to your boyfriend and _not_ me, I see how it is."

Tyki gave her a steady look in response, "You hurt your ankle—he hit his head, I do believe a headwound takes precedence over something like that." He didn't even comment on the 'boyfriend' remark.

And the beansprout wasn't here.

Should I be thankful or _not_?

Thankful, hell yes because this would be way too awkward _with_ him here

Not thankful because then half of what was said wouldn't have _been _said.

"Neh, neh, she's got a point—isn't it supposed to be family over friends?" Lavi questioned, shifting the icepack to his other hand as he grabbed the towel.

"It depends on the situation. In this case, I choose friend over family."

"And I think it's 'friend' over 'foe', not," Road let out a loud sigh, cutting her own sentence off, "Nevermind. I'm goin' back to my room. Allen _should_ be done talking to Lenalee by _now_."

"You might want to make sure he isn't attempting to call Cross," Tyki called after her, "since it seems like such a big deal and all."

"And why do you care, oh dear wonderful uncle," Tyki's eye twitched at the word, "of mine?"

He shrugged, "Considering I just got off the phone with someone," she stopped walking, "who was at a bar," an eyebrow raised, "that Cross just so _happened _to be at."

"And the reason you were talking to someone who was at a bar that Cross so happened to be at is _because_?"

"The power went out—there." Almost to prove his point, a loud rumble of thunder echoed overhead, "And apparently now I have to make a phone call to someone or yadah-yadah-ya," he waved his hand dismissively.

"…So you didn't even know the person who called you?"

"Well they knew me." He didn't sound like he had _any_ problems with that whatsoever.

"You didn't even get their name?" She stated it like a question when it almost sounded like a command.

"Isn't that good enough?" he turned back to Lavi, "is the icepack too cold?"

"I'm fine." Lavi smiled, goofily, up at him.

"And now you're _ignoring_ me." Road, annoyed.

Tyki only glanced at her, "Well why would _I_ ever pay attention to _you_ when I have an injured person right in front of me?" He turned back to Lavi, asking, "Has the swelling gone down?"

"I don' think it was swellin' that much to begin with," he tried to explain, and suddenly I felt…well, not _bad_. Okay. Maybe marginally—back, in the room, when his head had been _bleeding_—but _still_. He was an idiot. He had tried to—tried to—

"Now what on _earth_ did you do?" He was directing the question at both of us, "to get hit on the head."

I could tell he wanted _me_ to answer. He was blaming this on _me_. What could I say?

'Oh, yes your…whatever-he-is-to-you tried to kiss me.' _That_ would go over well.

But.

I didn't know—not exactly. He had only—well…he _did_ kiss my neck. Or lick it, but…

"It was just a joke." Lavi spoke up, and I could feel my face go red. "Didn't mean anythin' by it but Kan-da took it th' wrong way." He grinned at me this time—_What should I say? What should I…?_

I didn't believe him.

"Tch, next time you joke, _say so_." I turned my head away, brushing some hair out of my face. Dammit, my cheeks were still warm. I was still blushing—_Please don't let him ask—_

Tyki laughed, "Really now? What on _earth_ could you have possibly done?"

_Why_ was he asking? _Why_?

"Oh y'know," Lavi almost seemed nervous now, but not quite, like he was trying to prevent something from happening, "the usual."

I blinked, _'The usual?' _

He raised an eyebrow, looked over at me, and smirked, "Really. My, that _must_ get annoying."

_What?_

He let out a laugh, "I wonder, how many times it happens? After all, you are quite the sight." I blinked, dumbly again, feeling my face heat up even further as he continued, "With your long hair and feminine—"

Ah. _That_.

I let out a snort, "Enough."

For some reason he _listened_.

But not for long before he was asking _another_ question, "One would think you'd be used to it by now," I tensed as he left Lavi's side and walked—or…sauntered—over to me. I couldn't help noticing Lavi mimicking the action, "Or at least, if you _weren't_ then…why don't you just cut your hair?" He took a strand of it between his fingers in an eerily familiar way, "Not that I think you _should_—you have beautiful hair, but…"

I couldn't tell if he was trying to make fun of me or not.

But Lavi decided to butt in anyway, "No way! If y'cut yer hair—" like I was the one who suggested it—"then Yuu wouldn't be…well…Yuu!"

Again, a pun on my name, but Tyki got it, and I suddenly felt that I probably should _not_ be here. And in fact, should probably be behind many safe layers of concrete.

No. I _still_ didn't know for a fact that he was jealous. Hell no.

But for some goddamn reason I opened my mouth anyway, "I won't cut it."

Lavi relaxed, enough, but didn't seem aware that he did anything wrong. For half a second, anyway. Then he noticed, or at least his eye widened a bit, "Tha's good." But he kept the same cheerful, but relieved smile, "That would've been—well, just, _not you_."

"You're repeating yourself, dear." That was Tyki—through clenched teeth.

Lavi shifted, nervously, wincing, "Ah, yeah, but I mean—" he tried to smile again, but it looked forced, "D'ah…_think about it_." He looked like he wanted someone to whack him upside the head again.

He obviously _did not_ want Tyki thinking about it, but he continued the thought away, "Would he look good with short hair?"

He looked back at me, still angry, but now…something else. _Dammit _at a time like this I really wished I could read people bett—

No. Not really, but _hell_ it was…awkward? Worse than that?

"Well," he leaned in, closer, and I wanted to take a step back, "Don't cut it all the way, maybe, oh, to your shoulders? That way you can still put it up, since it _does_ look good in a ponytail."

Lavi grimaced again, and I was so sure now that it wasn't because of his head, "Tch, I won't cut it." I muttered out, again.

"Really?"

"It's my hair." I carefully looked away, catching Lavi's eye in the process, "I'll do whatever the hell I want with it. I'll keep it long."

"But hair can always grow back." My eyes drew back, almost instinctively, to Tyki's face, "It _is _only hair after all. And, I'm sure it would look good on you."

"Weren't y'listenin'?" Lavi cut him off, even though I had the feeling he wasn't done talking, "If 'e doesn't wanna cut his hair then don't make him." It sounded like a threat.

And—

"You shouldn't be standing." Tyki immediately turned to him, like he had seen, from my reaction, that he was doing something that _wasn't_ good.

But before Lavi could make a comeback, and before Tyki could even reach him to _force_ him back on the couch—a door, opened, down the hall.

"I heard Lavi's hurt." It was the damn Moyashi.

Crap.

He appeared in less than a second, with the same jittery, drained, look on his face that almost _screamed_ 'don't touch me'. His eyes widened, slightly, when they fell on the redhead, "You _are_ hurt."

"Y'think Road'd lie to y'?" Lavi laughed, experimenting, and taking a step forward.

"Well no, but—" he shot me a dirty look, "—should you be standing."

"Should you?" he almost looked like he regretted saying it.

And A—_the beansprout_, looked like he wished he hadn't heard it, "I—I'm fine though."

"Y'didn't look well either, when we dropped by, it's why you're here, remember?"

"Well Road's talking to Lenalee so—"

"Really? That's good." He sounded too desperate to change the subject.

"W-Well yeah, it is, I was worried." And he was playing along, "I-I also called Cross too." He let out a nervous laugh, like he was half expecting one of us to snap at him, "a-and he actually _picked up_."

"Didn't Road tell you not to talk to him, though?" his tone sounded scolding.

"He doesn't seem like a fairly good guardian if he let's you get sick." Tyki quickly agreed, "What did he have to say for himself?"

"Um," and for whatever reason he took that initiative to _say_ what it was, "he said he couldn't talk long. That he was at the bar—not to worry about him—an' the power had gone out."

Almost as if on cue, the lights flickered, didn't go out, just flickered.

"Oh dear."

"Maybe y'should get out some candles?" again, desperate to change the topic. Go in a desired direction—_something_.

'_But what's the direction he's aiming for?' _Not that I cared much—but he was making _such a big deal_ out of the damn _beansprout_—not that I want him to make a fuss over me—I—I

"Unfortunately I don't think I have any."

"Eh? Doesn't everyone have candles?"

"Cross has a few, but we never use them." Again, he visibly flinched at the name.

"What do y'use then?"

"Electrical—flashlights."

"We don't even have those, I don't think." Tyki murmured, almost…was it _amused_? Did he sound _amused_?

"Why?"

"Fire hazard."

Understanding flashed through Lavi's eyes, but I didn't know _why_.

"wait. The candles, or the--?" The beansprout didn't even see that much.

"The Candles."

"And the…?"

"Because it'd cost too much money."

"And yer lazy."

"I am not." Tyki's eyes narrowed, "I just find it annoying. The batteries never work either, it seems."

"Because you never replace them."

"I do _too_." He half-glared at Lavi, before blinking, "How do you even _know_ I have flashlights?"

"I didn't."

"I mean—" he quickly corrected himself, "How do you know I don't replace them?"

"Why else would they be annoying?"

"…"

"…"

"I-I'll…go check on Road," the beansprout spoke up, stuttering slightly, "t-to see if she's done yet."

Lavi jumped at the chance to restart the conversation, "Ah, yeah, she might wanna get off soon, in case the power really _does_ go off."

"But she's…using her cellphone."

Lavi let out a laugh, "But still, you're leaving your girlfriend all alone in a dark room—she'll probably freak if the power goes out."

Tyki looked like he wanted to say something to that.

The beansprout looked like he wished Lavi _hadn't_ said that.

And.

And—

The lights went out.

-------(Allen's POV)-------

To my surprise, the first one to speak was actually _Kanda_. Grunting, and not sounding too happy, he hissed out, "You jinxed it."

"Didn't mean to!" Lavi immediately shot back, "I mean it!"

"Of course you do." Sarcasm. I felt the need to say something, but, but—I actually _didn't_ want him mad at me now. Anyone mad, anyway.

"I'll go check on Road." I repeated, turning away and fumbling through the dark towards the hall. Thankfully I had good eyesight—I could see well enough in the dark that I didn't stub my toe, or run into anything. I didn't need to do that, especially _now_.

My legs still felt way too shaky, and I still felt like—felt like I might be sick. All because of—

-mini-flashback-

'_Cross 'ere,' _I blinked, surprised to hear his voice. I hadn't expected—hadn't _wanted_ him to pick up.

"Ah, uh, um,"

_'Allen?' _

He knew it was me just from that. And I hated the way he said my name, _'why're you callin'?'_

I bristled at the comment, watching the door carefully—Road _had_ just left for a second, after all, "Just—calling to say I'm, uh, I-I'm at a…friends house." I heard someone sob, loudly, in the background, "Wh-where are you?"

I wanted to bash my head against the floor for asking that. I _needed_ to be quick—_needed_ to. I promised road I wouldn't call him and—

'_A bar,' _then, away from the phone, I could tell, he hissed out, _'shut the hell _up_, it's just the damn dark!' _

"Dark?" Immediately my mind dipped.

Before my mind could dip down to that place it would go eventually, he spoke, _'Yes the damn fuckin' _dark_—the fuckin' power went the hell out. I'm surprised it 'asn't where you are.' _

"Oh, I'm on Road's cell-phone."

I bit the inside of my cheek. Again. I was continuing the conversation again.

'_So yer over at the Noah house hold?' _

"T-Tyki's place."

'_Ah,_' again, I heard a sob, but this time muffled with a voice, _'How the fuck should I know? Don't y'have someone to pick you up?' _

I pretended not to be curious. No. Not _pretend—_more like _tried_—but that was nearly impossible. Who _wouldn't_ be curious if someone was on the other end, crying, for some unexplained reason? Was it Cross's fault? Or was he trying to—

No. He wouldn't do that.

"Err, I-I should go…now. I mean—"

'_I ge' it, I ge' it.' _His words slurred, slightly, together. He was drunk.

"Please tell me you'll make it home and not just_ crash_ somewhere?" the typical sentence fell out of my mouth before I could stop it.

'_Fuck, if the rain doesn't let up then I'm gonna have to stay here. But—' _he let out a laugh, _'—ah hell, I'm soakin' wet already. I'll jus' wait till the alcohol wear s off.' _

I didn't need to ask how much he had. He wouldn't tell me, anyway.

"I-I see, w-well I really sh-should go."

'_Yeah, yeah before your girlfriend gets back.'_ He muttered another string of curse words under his breath, which I was assuming aimed at the other person—and I could only assume _that_ meant that he wanted _me_ to hang up.

And I was about to, really I was.

But then he went and said it, _'You be careful too, kid. Y'never know what the hell'll happen in the dark.' _

Then another string of cuss words, the sound of someone speaking, loudly, in the background, and—the sound of a dial tone.

A split second later and the door to the room banged open. Standing there, head cocked, playfully to the side, one hand extended, the other to her side. She took one step in, shut the door behind her, and then said—

Not _asked_—

_Said_

"You were talking to Cross, weren't you?" she took a few more steps forward, before falling to her knees beside me, head cocked, again, to the side.

"Ah," I smiled, sheepishly, "I wanted to leave a message but—"

"He picked up." She reached one finger out and tapped me on the cheek, "Amusing."

"A-Amusing?"

She let out a sigh and turned her head to look at her bed—across the room—and leaned back against _my_ bed, "Well, I just thought he would." She stretched one leg out, bending the other, then _kicked_ randomly.

"You…did? But," I shook my head, "You and Lavi both said that I shouldn't call because he wouldn't pick _up_."

she turned to look at me again, "Be-_cause_, we knew he'd pick up." She thought that over for a second, "We lied, I'm sorry."

I didn't know what to say to that.

_Lied._ I hated—but then cheating was the same as, so—

I tried to smile, "It's…fine. Just—how did you know?" I didn't have to ask how _Lavi _knew—anything and everything could be chopped up just to be, well, something he _did_—just like how crying _wasn't_ something he did, at least, not since I had known him—but we weren't _talking_ about that right now. No.

"W_ell_, I don't know how knew," she decided to bring him in anyway, "But it's just…a feeling I got. I dunno." Her eyes narrowed, almost like they were trying to memorize my face or…or _something_, "But I'd figured I mean—he's Cross, yeah, a bastard in probably every way that I've ever heard of, _but_." She paused then, prolonging it in the way she seemed to like doing.

"But?"

"He's your guardian, so. I figured he _had_ to worry about you, just a little bit." She let out a laugh, "though he might just be a really crappy one. And heck—I _agree _with that whole heartedly, but there's _got_—there's just _gotta_ be a reason why Mana chose him to watch you." She smiled, distantly, "They_ were_ good friends, right?"

I nodded my head, "Y-Yeah, up until the day he died." I looked down at the wood-flooring, "They always went out together—to the bar, or, he'd always tag along when we did performances." I let out a chuckle, "But he _is_ a crappy Guardian."

"Especially if he did _that_ to you."

My eyes widened for a split second, "Wha--?"

And she wasn't looking at me. Or she was, but not at _me_—like she was looking _through_ me or—or—

Then she cracked a smile, "Nevermind!"

But I could tell she didn't mean it. And she could tell that I could tell that, and that was probably _why_ I could tell it in the first place, and why she was being as unbelievable as possible.

"Did you call Lenalee yet?"

I looked down at the cell phone, only managing to shake my head

"Want me to call her for you?"

"What?"

"I'll. Call. Her. For. You."

"No, no I can—"

"But I wanna ask her something—"

"But she's worried about me."

She pouted, unsuccessfully, before, suddenly, the look disappeared, replaced by an amused one, "Fine. But I'll be back." She was leaving again? "Something tells me something amusing's going to happen."

And a split second later there was a muffled yell, followed by a loud _thud_, from Lavi and Kanda's room.

Her amused grin stretched just a little further, "Yup, definitely something fun." But she didn't leave immediately, not until we heard the door open, and then Tyki, loudly, asking what the—happened. Then we heard Kanda _try_ to explain something, muffled, and almost…_worried_…and then Lavi refuting that, or changing it, or just repeating him and—

Road let out a squeal, "Fun. Yes. Very fun."

This time I actually asked, "How is it_ fun_?"

"Because," her tone changed, like she was telling the ultimate truth now, "_Tyki's _going to be _jealous_."

'_Jealous?' _

I didn't want to know why.

---(present time)---

Or maybe it was just too obvious.

I let out a silent sigh, listening to them bicker, this time about what they were going to do about lighting and—"You really need to get over your fear of candles"—"But you _know_ why"—and it was Lavi so he probably _did_ know—"Then flashlights"—"They're unethical to my religion"—"Aren't you an atheist?"—that was both him and Kanda—"Well—" I reached the room Road and I shared, and, as I opened, stepped through, and closed the door, the voices immediately became muted.

And a split second later something barreled into me, a pair of arms, latching around my waist, followed by a muffled, "It's dark."

"Yes…it is." I tried my best not to stammer—_and_ not to fall back against the door, which, thankfully, I somehow managed, "Are you done talking to Lenalee?"

I felt a slight movement, which was probably a nod.

"What did she say? Ah—I mean—"

Another movement, and now she was looking up at me, but not moving away, "She sounded upset when I hung up." Her eyes narrowed, slightly, but it almost looked forced, "You two really _did_ get in an argument, right?"

And I _really_ didn't want to talk about it.

"She didn't tell you?" Instead I asked that.

"Nope. Said _ask you_, an' then, of course, the power went out and I had to hang up."

"It's a cell-phone," I repeated for the second time that day, "You don't need electricity to—"

"But it's _dark_." She was forcing that on me, like—like—

"Road," she buried her head against my chest again, "are you…afraid of the dark?" I tried to keep my voice gentle, and I felt her head move.

I couldn't tell if it was a yes, or a no, or maybe even a 'maybe'—this _was_ Road, after all.

"I'll take that as a yes?"

"No!" But the sound was muffled.

"Road," she lifted her head for a moment, "it's fine to be scared of something."

"But I'm not—it just," she paused, looking for the right words, "choking."

'_Choking?' _

"Uncomfortable." She seemed to understand that I wasn't quite grasping what she meant, "I'm not _scared_ of it—I just don't _like_ it." She paused for another moment, "and I certainly don't like being left alone in it."

'_Come to think of it, Lavi _said _she might not take it well—freak, no, but—' _I wrapped my arms, slowly, around her waist, and she more than willingly accepted it.

'_Maybe she _is_ afraid, just…doesn't want to mention it.' _

After a moment in silence, though, she spoke, "Did you leave them alone out there?"

Out there, meaning the living room, probably, and she was obviously speaking about Lavi, and Kanda, and Tyki, so I nodded my head, "Yeah, they're probably trying to find candle's or something right now."

"Lavi doesn't like candles."

"I heard him say that," I agreed, "I'd ask why, but,"

"I can tell you, if you want." That made me freeze

_What_?

"I…I don't even know Tyki that well," I laughed, gently, "It wouldn't feel right—"

"He's my dad's younger brother." She reminded me, "and _you're_ my boyfriend." Again that word sent a wave of discomfort through me, "I think I might…wanna tell you."

"Right now?"

"If you want."

I thought it over for a moment before saying, as gently as I could, "But it's getting late." No, "It's already late—"

"So?"

"We should be getting to bed," I tried to explain, "we have school in the morning, remember?"

"Do you really feel up to going?" She sounded like she already knew the answer to that.

"I've been through worse." I didn't know where _that_ came from, "I think I can manage."

"You sure?"

I nodded my head, even though I knew she wouldn't be able to see it.

"Well then, if you're up to school then you must be up to running into Lenalee." She just wasn't going to let the topic go.

"I guess."

"But it'll be awkward, right? And she's probably expecting you to tell me why she's upset." No, she probably _wouldn't_ want me to tell you—at least, not all of it. If I did—If I did then—

Unless she _was_ really pissed off at me, which I hoped not. She noticed my silence as a cue to continue, "So…shouldn't you tell me?"

"…it's _late_." I repeated, "I don't think—"

"it can _wait_ till morning." She finished for me, pressing closer, "I wanna know _now_. Even if it's…_dark_. It'll help me not think about it." Now she was turning it into some sort of excuse.

"But—"

Then she pulled that number, the one I had overheard many guys talking over, and the one I hoped I never got suckered into—just for the fact that I knew I'd fall for it too, "Is it _really_ something you can't tell me?"

How was I supposed to _answer_ that? I knew lying was out of the question, because that would just go downhill, but I didn't want to tell her everything. I didn't know how she'd react—

"And don't say it's because of the 'I don't know how you'll react' thing, okay?" she read my mind. Again. Which would've been creepy if it hadn't been _her_, "You won't know if I'll react at all _until_ you tell me."

I tried to laugh at that, but it came out nervous, and I slowly pushed her away, saying, "Well I can only tell you half, okay?"

She pouted, which I could barely see in the dark, "What about the other half?"

"Lenalee probably wouldn't want me to tell you that." There, I had it, "because I know she'd react badly to it, and I think…I think I made her feel bad enough as it is."

She thought over for a moment, before stumbling towards my bed and sitting, roughly, on the edge, "Okay, I can live with that for now. So spill."

But how exactly was I going to do that?

…Thankfully, just as I was _about_ to open my mouth, I heard the loud familiar voice of Lavi, saying for _someone_ to be careful—and then Kanda, shouting about someone bumping into him and—

Then the door banged open.

It was Kanda, holding a flashlight, with a peeved and…_embarrassed_? Expression on his face. He scoffed at me, then shown the light on Road, "Here." He tossed the flashlight at the bed, and it landed, softly, right next to her, "That's for you."

"Yuu-ch—_Kan-da_, we found some batteries!" That was Lavi, from down the hall.

"So?" He didn't even care that he was still standing in the doorway—he didn't even care to shut the door as he walked through.

"Ah, uh, we might need some help!" That almost sounded like an excuse, "Are the kiddies okay?"

He looked back at us and shrugged, "Tch, whatever." Then he turned back, and began walking back down the hall towards, I was assuming, Tyki's room.

And suddenly Road flashed the light _right _in my eyes, "I'm surprised they found this." She commented, offhandedly, before holding it under her chin in the traditional 'ghost story' way—which she could pull of _really, really_ well—"but at least we've got light now." She looked past me, at the door, "Y'might wanna close that. I don't think you want them hearing this too, do you?"

She had a point, and I turned, shutting the door—and also asking myself, _'How did Kanda not hit me again?'—_followed by, _'Was he actually being careful?'_—No. But. I didn't _know_, so—

I turned back to Road and exhaled. Her face was expectant, like a child waiting to be told a bedtime story.

But the same thought came back, slightly different, but still the same—

How could I explain it?

------------------------------------------------

**And here's Chapter 14. It was actually done two days ago, but that obviously tells you how much computer time I've had since school started back up (on the 6****th****). Anyways, this chapter's obviously a bit longer than the last one (17 pages, I think? Somewhere around there?) which is good considering I had no idea how much I wanted to explain of each scene/if I had to cut stuff out/etc. Thankfully everything fit pretty well, so I'm glad I was able to fit it all in (and not extend it to the next chapter)!**

**As always, questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review!**

**-Harmony283**


	16. Leaving or Arriving Unexpectedly

**Here's chapter 15! And I actually started on it relatively early too (but then again, I usually do, so that's nothing new—it's if I **_**finish **_**it early, that's unusual). The only thing I'll say about this chapter is that it's, well, an introduction, again. Of a new OC, who could possibly be important later (as a connector character), or maybe not. I don't know. It provides some interesting backstory on Lavi though, so it's important. Also, pay attention to Road's POV, she says some interesting things about certain characters. Oh yes, **_**and**_** I added in Lavi's POV at the end. Why? Because—because I felt like it? O.o –also wanted this chapter to be longer than 10 pages- (not that anyone's mad about me adding in his POV, right?) **

**(And of course—thanks SO MUCH to all my reviewers! I officially have over 100 reviews for this! –hugs reviewers- That makes me so happy!)**

**Note: Remember the Authors Note back on Chapter 7? (if not, go back and look at it) the OC in this chapter brings up one of the character's, but he refers to her as "Livvy" and not "Snake". Which brings me to: **

**Polar Ais (…the panda-stalker? XD) **

**Age: 25 (looks 18) **

**Occupation: Part of the Bookman Clan/owns a Gun Shop (won't say WHERE)**

**Personality: Extremely eccentric, but painfully naïve at times, described as a mother-hen to those whom he dotes on/is close to, he also seems to be very much a daddy's boy, and can't go anywhere without his cell-phone for fear that his dad might call him (and he'd miss it). He has dual citizenship—in France and in America. (Meaning he's half-French, but knows squat about the language) **

**Artwork: Maybe (planning on it) **

**Anon. Reviews: **

**Okito: **First off, congrats for being my 100th reviewer! –hugs- Yes Cliffhangers can be scary, and I really dislike reading them most of the time (and yet, I write them nearly all the time, so…). XD Well I want it to be suspenseful but not to the point where you absolutely can't stand it, that'd be really bad ^^; I'm very glad that you like Cross though (to be truthful, I wasn't too fond of him until his last appearance in the manga, but I always thought he'd be fun to play around with in a fanfic, particularly an AU (because he's a 'mentor' character, but not in the conventional 'I'm an Old Man, listen to me!' sort of way), and so far it's been really fun XD Ah I know that feeling, unfortunately it's happened less and less for me (in terms of fanfictions), but I do tend to re-read the chapter, and that actually helps (pointing out errors/giving CC, asking questions, pointing out something I liked/etc). Ahah now _that's_ interesting, but I'm happy you check each time! –really needs to check here more often- I haven't been able to read anything outside of school work, unless a friend sends me something x.x It makes me happy that you think so highly of my story! Thank you! Also, I won't say when Rebecca will appear again, but I'm definitely planning on using her later on (remember the whole car accident issue? That obviously isn't resolved, so she'll be appearing again for that, at the very least). You think it'd be interesting? Well that's good to hear! –will keep it in mind-

**Cubwub**: You're welcome! (and thank you for actually reading it) I'll try my best to remember to reply to anon. reviews from now on (we'll see how well it goes). Well as long as you say so (about the pace) –never knows if she really IS going too slow- I just do…what feels right pace-wise, I guess? (if that makes any sense at all) Really? O.o Well I'm getting loads of inspiration on this right now so I'm hoping it keeps up (and that's fine, as long as you review sometime –knows sometimes it takes a while to get ones thoughts together after reading-). 3rd person…I don't even remember the last time I've written a fanfic in third person (it feels so cold to me now, and not as much fun) but I'm glad you find it interesting! Well if you have any specific (lines or anything) then feel free to ask in your next review! I'll (try to) point them out for you. I think you might actually see some at the end of this chapter, and the beginning of the next one XD but anyways, thanks so much for the review! –hugs- and I hope you enjoy this chapter! –will stop now before she starts to rant-

-------(Bookman's POV)-------

"But grampa—we just _met_ you!" I tried my best to smile down at the little girl in front of me, black hair, dark eyes, and a pouting face that almost mimicked her mother's.

"I know, I know," I tried my best to comfort her—a foreign attempt, to say the very least—"I promise to come back and visit as soon as I'm able to."

"and he's going to keep that promise." Her mother—my…the daughter I never knew I had—replied back, venehmently, staring at me with eyes that matched her nameless mother's eyes—the one who would have been my wife, had I known.

I simply nodded my head at the statement, "I plan to. I do not hold my promises on weak ground."

The child didn't seem to believe me, "You _promise_? I mean—you're going back across the ocean! You won't forget us will you?"

I let out a chuckle, "Oh I doubt I will," I patted her gently on the head, "Now I must be leaving, I don't want to miss my flight."

"But—"

Her mother cut her off, gently, "Dear, go sit with your father, okay?" The girl pouted for half a second before complying, stumbling off through the crowd to one of the many benches, clinging to her father—a man I hadn't known up until this visit, but I one who seemed to make my daughter happy—as he picked her up. Then her mother turned back to me, "You _will_ return, right?" She eyed me, "You…are getting on in years—you might not—"

"I'll live for quite a while longer." I assured her, "It is an unfortunate side effect of my job, looking older than my actual age."

Her eyes flashed with understanding, "I see. I'd say you should quit, but," she closed them then opened them, "it's the reason you're going back, isn't it?" I raised an eyebrow at that, and she explained, "I…overheard—you leaving a message, I mean. To a boy named Lavi. You mentioned him before."

"Yes," it didn't surprise me much that she had overheard, "he is my apprentice."

Her mouth twitched, "No one uses that word anymore."

I chuckled, "Of course, it's why we use it."

"Of course," she repeated, "But…did he get into trouble?"

I looked away for a moment, out at the drizzling rain, "Yes, I'm sure he has. It is not something I can easily ignore. He's my responsibility."

'_and I must make sure they don't find him.' _It had been two years, call me old and softhearted with age, but, _'He's taking well to his human life. When they find him, they—'_ I paused the thought, and sighed.

"For one who does the job you do, you've certainly grown attached." It was aloof and slightly cold in observation, and I knew, at least partially, what the mother of my granddaughter meant.

"Yes, I suppose the old saying rings true," I attempted to smile up at her, "As we grow old, and see the kindness in this world, it softens us. Or old age makes one blind."

"Literally and metaphorically." She mumbled more to herself, but with my hearing it was easy to pick up, "That boy must be glad."

"Oh no, he'll be punished when I get back." My lips twitched, more in the kind of smile I hadn't felt for a while, "And he knows it. Most likely is distracting himself until that time comes."

Her eyes narrowed, "_Punished_?"

"Of course." I heard the intercom announce the flights—and which would be delayed, and which needed to port—and which—

They called my flight number, "And I believe I really must leave now."

"I see," again with a bit of coldness, "I suppose I should say goodbye, shouldn't I?"

I shrugged, "I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to."

"Then I guess I'll thank you, instead." Her eyes softened a bit, but I could see wrinkles forming at their edges, "For playing with my daughter."

"It's unfortunate you can't have another."

"Yes, but," she touched her stomach, "It is the law. And the law is the supreme rule of the land."

"Indeed it is." I agreed, though, unwittingly I knew that I could not agree with that. Rules—my job required cross the boundaries of those rules

"I'm sorry that brother couldn't make it, though." A half-smile, now, "His son's really appreciated your visit."

I nodded my head, stiffly, "Yes, I'm…glad, I suppose."

She let out a harsh laugh at that, "You'd better be. It took enough to find him again—not exactly easy for an 'orphan' to do, y'know."

I would have apologized for it, but then it was common practice. Boys were favored it was natural that if one had a girl first, they would throw her away. Give her away. _Something_.

Again the intercom listed the flights, "I really must leave now." I bowed my head slightly, catching a flash of white, once more, out of the corner of my mind—_'They really did send someone, then'_—before turning on my heels towards the gate.

I didn't get very far, unfortunately, before that person decided to make an impromptu—but of course, carefully planned out—entrance. Stepping, alongside me once my daughter turned her back, he whispered, almost casually:

"You're in trouble."

I let out a quiet sigh, "I assumed I was right when I stepped off the plane."

He disapproved of that, I could tell, "I'd ask why, but what's a 'why' going to do for me?" He swallowed almost silently, "You weren't hiding."

"I didn't feel the need." I closed my eyes for a moment, quickening my pace ever so slightly towards the designated gate, and he followed, briskly, "You're here, aren't you."

"Well," he hesitated, "Yes. But not—not to look for you."

"Then the Rat." I quickly interjected. It was common knowledge at this point. He laughed and nodded his head, "Did you find a lead?"

"If I didn't why would I be going to the US?" He wondered, slightly louder, "If I didn't know where he escaped to, why would I have gone through the trouble to renew my passport?"

"When you'd rather consume your time hiding from your father?" He tensed again, even slighter that time, "You really must get over such a petty fear. He kept you out of—"

"Out of _hope _and _blessing_, and a bunch of other crap that he slapped in my face over the phone multiple times, yes I know." He snapped, before calming, "And I don't try to hide from him either. He can just call me and I come."

"Yes," I agreed, bemusedly, "You do. Quite the obedient boy, aren't you?"

He took the bit of praise, however sarcastic, "That I am. Completely unlike that guy."

"That guy?"

He shot me a look, "The rabbit that disguises himself in lion's clothing and _somehow_ gets away with it." He thought that over for a moment, "or is it vice versa? I haven't seen him in _so long_—" he stopped briefly, as we passed through the gate, showing her the needed tickets before passing through unhindered.

He completely switched subjects. Or, not entirely but in that _way_ of his, with an easy smile almost like Lavi's, but not as energetic, "So how is he? Doing good in school? Or—oh yes, he'd be starting University now, right? What's his 'Major'?"

"Photography." If he was going to the US I knew he would find out anyway.

"Quite simple, isn't it?" He wondered, brushing a strand of pale hair away from his pale face, and out of his pale eyes, "But it suits him. With his eyes and all, figures he'd choose that." He thought _that_ over for a moment, "or journalism maybe. Something artsie and easy." He thought about that too, "How did he _ever_ make it out of High School?"

We stepped into the plane and quickly found our seats—him, on the outside for pure necessity, and I by the window—and sat, quietly, for a few moments. It nearly surprised me that the flight wasn't full at this point.

Another voice came over the intercom a few minutes later—stating the negative effects of turbulence, and the other odds and ends of the horrible thing called 'flight'—but I tuned it out, instead, letting out a chortle to answer his previous inquire, "With very little sleep, I assure you."

"You mean you _didn't_ train him as heck over night?" his lips twitched, "Have you grown _soft_ in your old ways?"

"Oh no," my laugh was strained now, "he just learned to quicken his pace when it came to trivial things, such as homework." I turned my head to the window and saw him lean forward, tilting his head to face me, "I assure you what he learned in High School wasn't anything different from what he learned when he was a boy."

"It makes me wonder why you made him go to school in the first place." He leaned back in his seat once he knew I wouldn't turn my head back, "I mean—if he already _knew_ the stuff, then what else _is_ there besides social bonding?" I waited for a few seconds, "Ah—bonding. Right. Social stuff. _Right_. Did he do okay?"

I raised an eyebrow and turned my head, not entirely ahead, but close enough, "Quite, though it depends on what _okay_ is—and if you think he even understands that concept."

"True," his eyes narrowed slightly, closing for a half a second in the same movement, before opening, "he was absent much of the time, wasn't he?"

"When he would crash, yes." I let that bit of information hang in the air.

A moment later, "You didn't really watch him did you?"

"Not particularly, no. I never had a reason to. As long as he had an A in every class and did what I ordered of him to do, is there ever a reason to?"

He turned his head to me again, "Yeah but—_crash_? I know you aren't as good a socialist—person who engages in polite and human conversation amongst other humans—at your age, so you leave that fairly up to him, but to let him go that far?"

I lowered my eyes for a moment, "Yes, maybe it was negligent of me, but first we must reach a consensus on what 'crashed' means." This time I fully did turn my gaze to him, while carefully monitoring my forthright position.

"Crashed as in, lack-of sleep to the point of being unhealthy—except it's him, and _us_, and we're all used to the treatment—and substance abuse. Including large amounts of alcohol, and whatever you smoke on a daily basis."

I hummed, slightly, "I suppose we're on the same page."

"You said you didn't want him to get addicted."

"He hasn't."

"Not to smoking," he corrected, "though I wouldn't be surprised if he took the habit up permanently in a few years—but _drinking_."

It was true I never watched that part of his habit, "As long as he doesn't get caught or dies, I'm fine with it." He looked as if he wanted to argue, thus I cut him off before he could make another utterance, "Do you honestly think he doesn't know how much to take before he dies?"

"But he knows, right?" The question was cold, and warning, and reminded me exactly of _why_ his name was what it was.

"Yes, he does. It's the reason he's still alive now."

"And the reason why he could easily die from it." He leaned back in his seat, lowering his voice for a moment—we had lifted into the air at some point, I hadn't noticed, "not that he's like that—not usually, but there's always the possibility."

Ah.

He realized, at the last second that he had slipped. He tried to redeem himself, and I let him, but it was all ready out in the open for me to see, "You know we can't afford to lose another—much less an _apprentice."_

"For one, he isn't capable of the title just yet," I gently reminded him, "He is too young."—"By your standards." He muttered, but at my receiving glare he quieted.—"and two, you know as well as I do that we must remain neutral in all standards. If the apprentice wishes to revoke any dealings with us, they have every right to choose to do so, upon the consent of having their memories erased from that time, and caring the sin of knowing that they had forgotten something so willfully."

"Just as well," he huffed, crossing his arms habitually over his chest, "they go mad, eventually."

"A sinner cannot run away from the sin."

His eyes flashed, humorously for a split second, "So we'll all just go insane in the end—like that Rat?"

"Possibly."

His eyes narrowed, laughter still trapped within the blue orbs, "You aren't going to let out more than you absolutely need to." It wasn't a question, it was a fact.

"Of course not." I agreed, "You, _after all_, are the one who chose to follow—neglecting your trail of that very same Rat to—"

"How many times am I going to have to tell you he's not in Asia?" Well, he hadn't said it quite in that way, "Not even in Europe. So where else could he be?"

"Australia?" Just to humor him, of course.

Thankfully he understood the joke, "Not there either. The US, unfortunately—he's in the most dangerous place. Might actually make it to his destination, which would be bad."

"And what might his destination be?" I wondered if he would actually let _that_ slip as well, but of course, he had a tight lip when he needed one, and now was one such time.

"Regardless, I only saw you by chance, and by the fact that you weren't trying to hide." He had changed the subject back, "So the fact that we just so happen to be on the same plane going to the US is a coincidence as well."

"Indeed it is." I agreed, softly, turning my head to the window again, "Quite a large one, in fact. I assume you will persue your chase after we land?"

He nodded his head in a barely visible way, "Yes, I plan to, anyway. Actually, since Livvy's almost done with her _voyage_ through Africa, she agreed to help me with my search—or rather, she let it be willing after she got assigned it." He let out a chuckle, "Not to happy considering her mother was just about to revoke that long standing sentence on her."

"He has the worst timing."

"Just like we all do." His lips twitched, "But it's when the most interesting things happen. «_**La chatte saut au dessus de la lune**_. » As they say. "

I would have pointed out how theoretically impossible that statement was, but at the moment that wasn't what concerned me, "So she's coming to the US as well?" He made no implement to prove this false, "You will be waiting for her?" he gave the curtest nod of his head, "In town."

"We haven't seen you for four years." His tone was serious, "and we lost contact with you after two—it would do both of us some good to see that he's actually alive."

"You're worried?"

His mouth twitched downward in a frown, "Not Particularly."

"Then you have no right to continue this conversation." He opened his mouth to say something more, but I cut him off, "Or do you wish to challenge the neutrality of what has been around since long before your time?"

He turned away, "No." it was quiet, "But, but, I suppose it's just the news that bothers me. You're going back because he _did_ something socially wrong."

"_Viewed_ as wrong, actually." I murmured, "And he's done it quite a bit the last four years."

"Always the noncomformist." He let out a chuckle, "But are you willing to tell me at least _that_?"

"Possibly. What would you like to know?" I had no dealings in sociality anymore, it gave me enough grief for children, and that was more than enough.

"First what is he…_interested_ in? You've at least met his friends yes?"

"True enough, I have," I relented, "He gets along with others fairly well, but he's only become reasonably close with a handful of people—three others, so far, two of which are younger than him."

"So the one that's the same age, he's the closest with?"

I nodded my head slightly, "One could say that. They're actually living together now, for convenience sake." I knew if I hadn't said the last part his mind would have fallen. Fast.

"Really." Then, a second later, "Guy or girl?"

"Decidedly male, but with a feminine face."

his eyebrow lifted, "_Really_? Is he still _interested_ as he was four years ago?"

"Presumably."

"So has he--?"

"No."

"But—"

"There isn't that high enough level on the reciprocating end." Short and sweet explanation.

"So Lavi doesn't just want to—" he stopped, thought over the words, "I mean, he never quite _cared_ before but…he _was_ on the receiving end, so…"

I felt my eye begin to twitch, "I would ask what you did—"—"Who said it was me?"—"but I don't believe I want to know."

"Of course you don't, old man." He let out a chuckle, "Add that to your highly descriptive blog and _see_ how long it takes before you get in trouble."

"Blogs are unethical."

He raised an eyebrow at this, "You have ethics?"

---------(Road's POV)-------

He didn't want to tell me. I could see that immediately, even _with_ the lights being dead, and me being choked, I could still concentrate enough on _him_. Him and his _white hair_—that practically glowed in the dark—like a light, in its own way—even without the beacon—which I was grateful for—even _without_ the fact that there was a great deal more space than I would've liked between us—

He was fidgeting far more than normal, eyes—glancing to the door, his left not entirely focusing, but I had that figured out by now. It was unique, unusual, and—he probably thought I was such a little kid for wanting to hear this story.

The story I could already guess the ending to. If I tried hard enough, anyway. Which I wouldn't, obviously, since he'd _tell_ me, and I knew he wouldn't lie. He wasn't a liar unless it was a huge choking blob of something that dimmed his brightness—that my beacon couldn't even help and—

I'm getting ahead.

"Well?" right when I voiced the word another crash emitted from down the hall, followed by a string of not-so-nice words from the source-of-affections.

Allen flinched, eyes shifting to me, then the beacon, then the lights, as if he expected them to come down and smite the choking hands, and then he exhaled, giving more life to the darkness than I wanted.

Then he smiled, an innocent light smile that was what drew me to him to begin with, "Well, you're right when you said she sounds…_angry _at me." Hurried, before I could interrupt, he added, "She is, or more like _upset_."

"and the story's going to tell me why." I felt like I had to remind him, shining the beacon lazily up at the ceiling, then to my cellphone still lying on the floor, and then back to him, and then—

"It is, yeah," he laughed nervously, brushing a strand of hair nervously to the side, "um, uh but—"

"Having trouble starting?"

He didn't respond, I tried to smile.

"How about scenery?" He looked confused, "y'know—where it happened. At Cross's Diner, perhaps?"

He flinched at even the slightest mention of anything to do with Cross, "Y-Yes, it happened there. Right…right—during when you called."

"Mhm?"

"Um she," he shifted, "you…_want_ to be friends with her, right?" I nodded my head enthusiastically—she was like him. They were both _light. _Just like how Lavi was light to pretty much everyone—but was pitch black when compared to everyone—and how Kanda was the right 'in-between' but had the darkness of a person wanted dead.

"Well then, I guess, ah," he exhaled again, loudly, "she just…doesn't like it."

I blinked, "it?"

"That's what she was upset about," he tried to explain, like he was trying to keep a scared dog from running smack into traffic.

"But what _is_ 'it'?" I pressed, leaning forward slightly.

He shifted, uncomfortable, but he wouldn't move closer for some reason, "Us dating." Then he mentally smacked himself. Three times. Or four.

"Really?"

He nodded his head slowly, "Yeah. She just—"

I ignored him, "Why?"

He blinked, "I—how am I supposed to know?" He was asking me to explain it for him. But how was I _going_ to when—"We've been friends practically our entire lives. Not that that has—"

Ah. But it _did_.

"So that's how it is?"

Suddenly he looked like he wanted to take it all back. Even though he wasn't even sure what I guessed yet—which probably meant I was right.

"_That's_ how it is." I repeated, the thought, for whatever reason, made me that much more elated.

This didn't soothe him, of course, in fact it made him that much more—"H-How is it?" and he was asking me again.

So, me being me, I decided to be as _blunt_ as possible. Obviously.

"She likes you."

"We're best friends! Of course she likes me!" he laughed, hesitantly.

"oooh! Not that kind of like!" I huffed, shining the light around the room again, "I _meant_ the like as in—she _like, like_s you. If we want a Hey Arnold reference." He looked completely and utterly confused, "You've never watched it before?" He shook his head, slowly, "Oh my _gosh_ you've _never_ seen the guy with the funky hair and the blue baseball cap?"

He thought that over for a moment, seeming relieved that I changed the subject for him, "You mean—that keychain you have?" I nodded my head, "Other than that, no. Maybe in a magazine but. No." his left eye twitched, but I doubt he felt it, "Cross didn't really like cartoons, and Mana always had me helping him out at the c-circus during my free time so I didn't have much time to—"

'watch them' is what he _would have_ said, I was sure. But the noise in the hall—a loud yelp, followed by another loud string of curses snapped both of our attentions to the door.

Then there was laughter.

-------(Lavi's POV)-------

I tried my best not to laugh, really I did. And I was failing, and I knew it—but really. Kanda looked, well, _pissed_, "Why was _I_ the one who had to give them the fuckin' flashlight?" Is what he probably would have said, had he not already been seething at me for my…_lack of conduct_ earlier.

"Is Road fine?" Tyki instead asked, apparently finding his reaction amusing, "They aren't doing anything…_inappropriate_," at that he wrapped his arms loosely around my waist, "are they?" I could feel his hands begin to travel down—but I stopped them before they could reach any lower than the hem of my shirt.

Kanda didn't notice at first, either that or he was ignoring it—which was practically the same thing—and doing a good job of it too.

"Tch, hell no." he answered back, roughly, looking back over his shoulder, "If they were then," he made a disgusted face that I couldn't miss even _if_ it was pitch black out.

I laughed, "I don't think Allen'd go _that_ far."

Now _Road_ on the other hand—

"Her father would disown her." Tyki tightened his grip around my waist, "either that or think poor little Allen-kun had forced him on her."

Maybe it was just me—but that—that _wasn't_—

"Nice mental image there, Tyki."

Kanda's eye twitched and his face contorted, just slightly, into a frown, before deepening and turning into this—this _disgusted_—

"Tch, I don't—_need_ that."

"Who does?"

"Why the hell did you even—" he caught himself at the last minute, and turned away again.

But before the silence could get too thick—or even remotely awkward—I spoke up, "are there any more flashlights?"

"Nope." Tyki wasn't trying to keep up a conversation though—and he was_ trying_ to move his hands again—

That's when I knew Kanda noticed. He didn't even _try_ to be subtle about it. Which meant he acted like he didn't see it—except more loud, and pronounced, "Che, whatever. I'm going back to bed." He shot me a glare over his shoulder, "If you want to keep your head sleep somewhere else."

Then he turned and stalked back towards our shared room, opening the door before, a second later, slamming it shut.

And apparently Tyki took that as a cue, his fingers playing with the sewn edge of my jean pocket, "I suppose you'll be sleeping with _me_ tonight."

"Mm, maybe." I couldn't give him silence as a response—

"Well then, shall we?" He slipped one hand in my back pocket, before turning me around, "Wouldn't want to be _late_ for school, now would we? And we must get up _extra_ early for the little ones."

That made me smile, "Ah—the days of waking up at six thirty to be ready for school at eight." He laughed along with me, "Sure as hell don't miss 'em though."

"Neither do I," he pushed me, almost too hurriedly, into his room, before quickly and quietly shutting the door—and locking it. Then he turned back to me.

I knew I wouldn't be able to get out of staying in his room tonight. Hell—I didn't blame _Kanda_ for kicking me out—I didn't even know what came over me then—but—even if I _hadn't_ done anything—

Tyki would have come and stolen me away before bed anyway.

"So, what happened?" He dropped the topic casually, as he walked--slowly, so he wouldn't trip—back towards his bed.

"Nothin' really. He just took a joke the wrong way."

His eyes narrowed as he glanced back at me—nearly glowing amber in the dark—"You said that."—"Not exactly"—he scowled, "Not in so many words, no. What kind of joke _was_ it?"

I had the distinct feeling that I would _never_ want to be interrogated by him—and had to wonder, all the same, if Allen was being interrogated right now. The thought was disturbing.

"Well?" a little more forceful this time, "You're going to have to tell me eventually."

"Ah—" I hesitated—just to buy time, I had to remind myself—"Well, it's just—like what you said to him. About him being…_feminine_ and—" I let out a nervous laugh to match, "—I mean, I've said stuff like that before but he just _really_ doesn't like…being around people he doesn't know."

Tyki raised an eyebrow, "Really now? I'm sure that will change over the course of this semester."

I didn't like the sound of that. Not at all.

"Eh I dunno," I shifted, nervously, "I think…it just _takes_ him a while—an' when he's stressed out he's like a ticking time bomb—y'never _know_ when he might go off, and when he does—"

"You nearly get a concussion." He finished for me, lips curling into a smirk, "_That's_ amusing. Him being so violent."

I didn't want to know his definition of amusing. But then—if someone was _amusing_ to him that meant that—well crap. I was _curious_ now.

"If he's amusing then what am I?" the words were out of my mouth before I could think them over, and that—that smirk turned fullfledged into one that—one that reminded me—

"Oh," he was right in front of me now—hand, reaching up, touching my eyepatch gently, "You're amusing in your own right. Worth your keep, definitely not a piece of trash." I tried not to flinch when his hand dropped from my eye to cup my cheek.

"A-And _how_ am I…worth my keep?" Just to keep him talking, because the hell if I knew what the hell he'd do when he stopped. No. I wanted to prolong _that_ a long as possible. Maybe because I already_ knew_ but—

"Mm, well, for one you just _are_." Whatever 'are' meant.

"And two?" I swallowed

His smirk was replaced by that…that _grin_ that could _only _mean his mind had fallen to a place I didn't dare reach. Then, he spoke, stuffing as much innuendo as humanely possible in his words—

"You're good in bed."

-----------------------------------------------------------

**Hrm, the ending of this was actually originally the beginning of the next chapter, but I decided to place it in this one (again for the sake of page length), and, well, I wanted to try to write Lavi as a Uke. Err, not that you **_**see**_** anything –is aiming to keep them **_**hinted**_** at, not explicitly detailed in a chapter- but you almost do, so…it counts, right? **

**ALSO: I just updated another D. Gray Man fic on here! It's called Monochrome—and it has the same pairing as this does! So if you're interested, please stop by and leave a review! (also note: it's not AU, just for the fact that I want to see how I do with the characters in a non-AU format). **

**And of course, Have Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review! **

**(and if you haven't already—VOTE ON THE POLL please!) AND I CHANGED SOMETHING ON IT! (so tell me in your review if it changes your vote) Jeez I don't mean ALL of his hair...-sighs-**

**-Till the next chapter**

**Harmony283**


	17. Like, Like, Like, Oh hell

**And here's the next chapter (again written painfully late at night, and updated unusually early, so…beware?). Err, basically it takes place in sequence with last chapter—maybe with an hour or so in between. Lavi basically realizes he can't sleep, and decides to see if Kanda's still awake, which, obviously, he isn't. Thus the obvious battle of 'Will they share (the bed) or not?' ensues—which then leads to Kanda having yet **_**another**_** dream of his childhood…**

**Note: Because it's Chapter 16 and I'm getting pretty confused myself (so I actually checked), I went back and did the whole 'timeline' thing—and there's one thing I found out. Monday's are **_**incredibly**_** long. Not sure if anyone's been paying much attention or not, but the majority of this fanfic happened on a Monday XD (um, I believe starting from Chapter 3, since I actually **_**say**_** in Chapter 2 that it's Sunday, so if my math's correct—the next day is always Monday, right?). Err, but yeah—it's **_**officially**_** Tuesday now! Hurray? **

**Note2: For those who didn't catch the edit during the last chapter: I changed the Poll (about Kanda cutting his hair) again. I suppose I should put this here but: it's half Lavi's fault that Kanda cuts his hair. I'm planning on it having something to do with a promise made later on(?), does that help people decide a little better? (and also: it's not ALL of his hair, Kanda wouldn't do that, and Lavi, obviously, doesn't want him to—and the promise is made between them, so it makes sense he wouldn't cut **_**all**_** of it off). So again, tell me in your review if it changes your poll results. (or if I should just close the poll, and start a new one? –not that many people've voted yet, but for those who have…) **

**And of course thanks so much for the reviews! –hugs-**

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**(Kanda's POV) **

Something…was…_poking_ me.

Something was _poking_ me _repeatedly_.

On my side, always in the same place—and then—

My cheek?

"Gah!" Now my nose, "What the hell?!"

"Ah!" I glanced, bleary eyed, for a moment at the darkness, trying to remember where the hell I was—and it _definitely_ wasn't back at my apartment. "Good—I thought you were _dead_!" The voice helped my memory along and I turned my head, slowly, only to see a mass of _flaming_ red hair—it nearly glowed.

"Lavi?"

He grinned , "Yup, that's me!" the grin turned sheepish a second later, "I jus' wanted to see if you were still up."

I saw the clock, illuminated in green—reading…after midnight. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, "Of course I'm awake—if I was asleep you'd have to _wake me up_—oh wait, you did." My eyes narrowed, and his grin furthered in apologetic…ness. When he didn't give a vocal response I continued, "What the hell do you want?"

Come to think of it, didn't I banish him from the room? Right—I did. I said it right after—_Tyki's_ hands wouldn't stop—

I cut that sentence off, forcing myself to scowl, "Well?"

He laughed, nervously, "Jeez, don't scowl like that, please? I'm sorry." Well there was the apology, and he _did_ sincerely sound like he wanted me to stop, "I just—"

"Weren't you with Tyki?" he looked annoyed for a split second before it turned to worry, "Or did he kick you out too?"

"Actually I'm supposed to be in the bathroom now," He half-explained, "But he's prob'ly asleep again—so he won't know but—" he exhaled loudly, almost like he was trying not to panic.

So I asked, just for the sake of it, "_But_?"

"But I _couldn't'_ sleep—or can't." His eyes looked pleading at his next words, "Really, Yuu, I _am_ sorry. Can I—Can I stay here for the night?"

I felt my eye twitch, "No."

"But—"

"He's your—_whatever he is_." I didn't even want to explain, I was dead tired, "I'm tired—and he's probably wonderin' how the hell long you can take a damn break for."

The pleading look never faded, "But Yuu—"

The words slipped out before I could stop them, "_No_. Go and let him fuck you—that'll keep you entertained won't it?"

He looked like a kicked puppy.

He wouldn't even look at me

'_But it's true.'_ It was almost sad how hard I tried to convince myself—myself and my sleep deprived mind. I couldn't' even _look_ at him anymore—that made two of us, now—so I turned, facing the wall, and attempted to close my eyes.

For a moment I actually thought I convinced him—or at least he was very decidedly _quite_. But he never left. I never heard him get up, and I never heard him open—or _close_—the door.

But then, after a few minutes in silence, he spoke up, "I'll…I'll sleep on the floor." His voice was softer—almost…_pleading_—I almost felt like he was degrading_ me_—

And dammit I was _trying_ to sleep.

"So can I…stay?"

"Tch."

I heard him shift, and then a soft thud, followed by a hiss of pain, "Kinda cold down 'ere though."

Like hell I'd do anything about that.

Another thump, a slightly louder hiss mixed with a curse.

Made me wonder what the hell he was complaining about—well, besides his arm. Of course his arm would hurt—

_And his head_

Didn't want to forget that either—_even though it was his fault—_not to mention—

_Whatever Tyki did to hi—_

No.

Just.

_No_

I tugged the covers closer. I did _not _need to think about…think about _that_. _That_ happening no less than a few doors _down_ from _this_ very room. Just. No.

But I hadn't heard anything.

Did the Moyashi? Not that I cared but—

I'd know in the morning.

The question was: _did_ I want to know? _Yes_ Lavi had lied and said—said that he _had_ when he _hadn't_—or he had at least done _something_ and—he had lied then, and said that he_ didn't_ do that something—and now I'd know that he _did_—and I would never be able to look at him the same way again.

I tried to shove the thought away, but another hiss, and another uncomfortable turn, and it was back again.

"Would you stop moving the fuck _around_?" I ground the words out, bolting up.

He was sitting up now, flinching, "E-Eh?" looking surprised, "Well y'know it's not exactly comfortable sleepin' on the floor."

"Then sleep in the damn _bed_ would you?"

It took me a second to realize my words.

_Shit_.

"But Yuu—there's only one bed."

Yes. There was. I _knew_ that.

What's worse is I couldn't think up a damn thing to say—an excuse—to keep him _there_ and not any closer than _here_ and—

My mind failed. Miserably.

I turned my head away, "Tch I _know_ that dumbass."

He was silent for a moment, then, "and y'mean by that…?"

"You're still sleeping on the floor." He was probably pouting, but I didn't turn around to find out. I didn't _care_. He _couldn't_ expect me to—not after—not

There was a low chuckle, "I guess you're right."—_of course I am—_"'kay then—g'night." He shifted again, grunting, lighter this time, before lying down again.

And then there was silence.

…

And I couldn't sleep.

I…_felt_ bad. About Lavi—and not letting him—but I _couldn't _feel bad—he _deserved it_—but—

That damn thought was back. The one I _really _didn't want to think about, but was anyway. Except now it was more like 'Why was Lavi _in_ there for so long?' if it was even _long_ to begin with. For all I knew, he could've been standing outside my door wondering if I'd let him in. It was small, probably unlikely—but _hell_ I didn't think they'd _do_ anything with—

I tried my best to cut that thought off, squeezing my eyes, tightly shut—

"Kannnnnda." Only to have them snap open, all thanks to that red-headed idiot. But he didn't get up, no; he just called my name again, "Kandaaaa."

"What?"

I could hear the smile in his words, "You're still up."

"Dumbass." I hissed, "I was _about_ to fall asleep." That was a lie.

"Liar." And he caught it. Of course he would.

"Can't sleep?" He quipped a second later, letting out a laugh, "I can't either."

He was repeating himself, for the sake of conversation. We both knew it, but I didn't know _why_. The only damn thing I could run with was the lie again, so I did, "Well I _would_ if you would _shut up_."

"Oh—so cold!" I didn't know if he was trying to tease me, it was too late at night for this.

"Go to bed."

"but it's _cold_!" And now 'cold' mean the temperature of the room. Or the floor.

"Get used to it. _You_ said you didn't mind."

"But," I felt added pressure on the edge of the bed, but I didn't turn around, "It's _cold_." Now I didn't know what he meant, he didn't seem willing to elaborate, either. Or at least he wouldn't without prompting. Not that I cared what he meant but—

I turned around anyway, "I _said_—" and I forgot what I was going to say. He was smiling, half, at me, tiredly—not even _two inches_ away from my face.

"You said?" he questioned, the edges of his lips turning upwards, more defined, "_What_ Yuu? I don't think I heard you."

I wanted to turn back around, and I somehow managed to succeed—not fully, but I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling instead, "Che, nothing." I muttered.

"Well if it's nothing then," he paused his words, and I felt the weight increase, and suddenly his face was looming over mine—

"Do you _want_ me to hurt you?" I wanted to add, 'again', but I knew he knew that already. No reason for a repeat—and dammit, usually I _wouldn't_ give him a damn warning, especially after—after—

"You already have."

That was true too.

But I didn't want him to put it like that, "Tch, and _what_ the hell did you do again?" I didn't want him to tell me, not really. I didn't need to know, and I know I didn't want to—especially now, when I _should_ be sleeping, but aren't. Because of _him_.

"I dunno," he actually sounded like he didn't, "but Yuu—I tried to apologize."

"And I would accept it?"

"I hope so." Now he sounded hurt, like I had just—well, I already did knock the shit out of him earlier, but he _deserved_ that—he sounded like he _didn't_ deserve it—unless I hurt him some _other_ way—

"You deserved it." The words dropped out of my mouth before I could stop them. I wanted to _sleep_ dammit—even though I knew I probably wouldn't be able to—not continue this conversation.

Lavi didn't seem to give a damn, though, "You giving me a concussion? Yeah I probably_ did_ deserve that." He sounded like he wanted to laugh, but not in the 'ha-ha' way, "But, Yuu, I'm tired, you're tired, an' I _really_ don't wanna sleep on the floor tonight. Can we call it a truce? At least for now?"

"If you want to sleep in a bed, then go back to Tyki." Again I mentioned that, and again I nearly regretted it, "I'm sure _he'll_ welcome—"

I didn't get a chance to finish my sentence, Lavi cut me off this time—but not with a _look_—with a…a _sound_ that—

I couldn't help but look at him now. He didn't look so much like a kicked puppy, in fact, he looked the exact opposite. Not angry—or happy, but _God_ why the fuck he'd be happy I had _no_ idea—he looked…looked—

"What the hell do you think he'd do if I went back?" it was a simple question.

"I already said—"

"He'd notice I was gone long, from my 'bathroom break'," Lavi agreed, "but why the hell would I go to the _hall_ bathroom, when he's got one in his room?" I didn't want to know how he knew that, but then, I had seen it too—the other door, in Tyki's room, the one they went rummaging for batteries in while I waited—

"I—I don't know."

"Let me stay here for the night." He repeated an earlier question, but this time as a statement, but then, he added on, "_Please_?"

"I said _No_, but you obviously didn't listen last time." It didn't sound even twice as venomous as the last time, "But I am _not_ going to let you—"

He let out a sigh, "Fine then. If I said my _arm_ hurts, would you believe me?"

My eyes narrowed, "You're admitting it hurts?"

He didn't see the need to nod his head, just held out his arm and said, "Yup."

"It's an excuse?"

"Probably."

I wasn't an idiot, I _knew_ the doctors had hounded me at the Hospital—saying—telling—_forcing me to listen—_to how he should sleep, and whatever the hell—and _one_ thing they _had_ said that I _dammit couldn't ignore_, was not putting too much weight on it, _especially_ when he slept—

And I had ignored it.

Yes it had only been a few days—not even, what? Three? Four? It didn't feel that short, but it was—and I didn't even know how he slept the past few days and—

I couldn't ignore it.

I found myself shifting over before I had even thought over more on the 'excuse' on the fact that he was probably lying—more to himself than to me—about it being _painful_—we hadn't brought his medication with him—_again_—and he _needed_ it to _not_ feel the pain, so it _must_ hurt and he _must_ feel it, so technically he was telling the _truth_ and—

"Get in." I didn't bother pulling back the covers, though, he did it himself, smiling in relief.

"Thanks Yuu."

"Tch."

More weight, and then he laid his head down, on the extra pillow that he had somehow grabbed from off the floor—where I had thrown it, since I didn't think I'd need it—before sinking, steadily, into the mattress. I had said it was _soft_ earlier—and I didn't do the hell well with soft but—

'_It's good for his arm.' _

The only excuse I could come up for that was—_'I'm his roommate, I have to take care of him, even if _he_ won't.' _

But dammit if that didn't sound more like an excuse than Lavi's did.

-------(About 3 hours later, roughly 4AM)-------

'_Thank God it's only minor burns' a woman's voice whispered_

'_Yes, now I'm just worried about his lungs. He's so young still—not even ten years old!' another woman added, equally as worried._

'_They're still processing the tests,' another stated, 'he might have permanent damage, we can't be sure—but let's think positive.' _

'_Yes,' the other two agreed, 'It's already horrible enough that—' their voices died for a second, cut off by a younger one. One that sounded so familiar—_

'_Yeah, they're all dead. Yeah it was arson caused by an idiot.' I wanted to smile, but I couldn't feel my face enough to do that, 'But do y'have t'talk about it _right_ in front of his room?' _

'_The boy shouldn't wake up for another hour.' One woman said, sounding guilty, but offended, 'You should still be in the waiting room.' _

'_Yeah, yeah,' I heard the door being opened further, 'Oh, look, I was right.' I was sure he was pointing at something that proved his point, 'He's awake, see? He doesn't have t'have his eyes open t'hear ya.' I heard his footsteps, loud, on the floor I hadn't even been awake long enough to see—_

_Then a happy, "Yuu! Yuu—wake up! I'm here to see you now!'_

_--_

"Yuu—Yuu wake up!" I jolted, eyes opening, slower, but just as urgent. Lavi was looming over me, a concerned look on his face, "jeez you _scared_ me." He let out a relieved sigh.

I wanted to ask _how_ the hell sleeping could be _scary_ but—my voice wouldn't work, and my throat felt raw. He noticed this, and grinned, "You kinda…went into a coughin' fit." Then he laughed a little uneasily, "You're still the only one I know who can sleep through their own coughin' fits."

I just stared at him a moment.

He continued talking, "Did y'have a bad dream, or what?" Concern was back again, "I mean—I know—and," he was beating around the bush, "Do you need water?" then he probably realized that was a stupid question, "Ah, okay, be…be right back." Apparently he had acquired a flashlight at some point, and he flicked it on, turning it towards the door, before walking out.

He was gone for a few minutes—I wasn't counting, and it was dark, and I _wanted_ to get back to bed, but knew I probably _couldn't_ now—but then I heard his footsteps, down the hall, and a second later the flashlight beamed in—flashing momentarily on my face, before he pointed it at the ceiling, trying somehow to close the door at the same time with his hands full. He succeeded—again somehow—setting the flashlight down on a shelf of the nearly-vacant bookshelf, before stumbling over and thrusting the glass in my face.

"Drink." He ordered, like he thought I wouldn't.

A moment later, after I made sure I had it, firmly, in my grasp so I wouldn't drop it and spill it everywhere, I took a sip. And I knew I _did_ need it then.

"Feel better?" Lavi asked just for the sake of asking, and I, in turn, nodded my head just for the sake of nodding it. He smiled, relieved, "Good, but hell, I'm surprised y'didn't wake anyone else up—you _sure_ you're okay? Not…sick and not telling anyone, right?"

I shot him a look, taking another sip.

"Okay, not sick, then it was a dream?" He thought that over, "Wait—yeah it was a dream, but I mean—what—"

_What did I dream about?_

He seemed to get that too, "it was about _then_ wasn't it? Just like the one before, right?"

I blinked, confused for a moment, "What?" My voice wasn't very loud, and it still hurt.

"I had to wake you up, d'ahh…Monday, I think." He thought that over, "Wait—yeah, Monday. Which was yesterday," he blinked, "_Hell_ it doesn't feel like yesterday."

And I had to admit, it didn't. In fact, it felt _too_ long ago to even be just a few days ago. Even though it was, and I knew time could never travel that fast—_'I suppose that's what people mean when they say a day seems to last longer than a year.' _But usually old people said that, and usually I never believed them. Well. Now I definitely did.

"But yeah," Lavi continued on after this mini revelation, "You had a similar dream, right? A…nightmare?"

"Wasn't scary." This time I said it a bit louder, wincing at the grating sound of my own voice, and the stinging it caused.

"Then a dream." His eyes narrowed, not suspicious, not really _worried_, but, curious, "Well whatever _dream_ it was—it sure as hell made you cough like you were havin' an attack."

I took another sip, then handed the glass back to him, he immediately placed it on the bedside table, and, while he looked away, he continued, "and y'know that's not good—you haven't had one since that point. Said you got over 'em, an' all."

"Just like you."

Hadn't meant to say that, but the words fell out that way.

I saw his lips twitch into a smile, "Yeah I guess. But dreams have a way of skewering your convictions like hell, and twisting them around so much that y'wind up doing the one thing you _wish_ you didn't do." He thought _that_ over for a moment, "Being sleepy does it too."

Sleepy?

Now I only half-knew what he was getting at.

"Like—being sleepy can make your brain shut off." He laughed, lightly, still not facing me, "Can make you say somethin'—do somethin' y'normally wouldn't do. Like being drunk," my eyes narrowed, "'cept not."

"And?" I lowered my voice to a whisper, it didn't hurt as much.

"And it can make y'want to apologize like _hell _afterwards," he was facing me now, sadly, "Y'know what I mean?"

If he was _trying_ to make an excuse for how he acted earlier—

"An' it hardly ever works."

I shut my mouth, which I hadn't even known I opened to begin with.

"'specially when it comes to _saying_ things, like earlier."—_He's making an excuse, he's making an excuse—_except I had the feeling he wasn't trying to—_But he is—_"I said that an' I don't know _why_—err, an' I _did_ that too—and—also, a few minutes ago too," he looked apologetic, "But hell you don't wanna hear about _that_ do you?"

If he meant what happened when he was with Tyki, hell no.

"I'm just glad you don't give a damn about it." He choked back a laugh, "It really _would_ kill me if you stopped talkin' to me."

I didn't want to feel anything. I didn't. Not when he said that. I knew, normally, he'd be kidding—and even _I_ would be able to tell—and only Lenalee would probably freak out if he joked about that—because she _knew_ what it was like to lose someone to something that _weak_—which, I assumed, she only told me, and everyone else just sort of _got_ in one way or another—but _why_ she only outright told _me—_I wasn't a brother figure to her. Her _brother_ did that too well—and—

I felt myself reach out before I necessarily could stop the reaction. He was babbling on about something now—under his breath, berating himself—and it—_hurt_.

I couldn't exactly reach for him, though. Not after _that_—which he deserved—and after he almost told me what I didn't want to hear—_which I really didn't_—and now he was spouting something, and his excuse would be sleep deprivation—which Tyki half caused, and I knew I was causing too—by waking _him_ up, and having him stay up with me because I knew I couldn't sleep now—

-------(Lavi's POV)-------

Ah, hell, I knew I was rambling now.

I knew I was probably worrying him like hell

And I wasn't making any sense

I wanted to shut up—but I was nervous, and I _always_ talked too much when I was nervous. Because I _said_ something so goddamn out of the _blue_ like that—even though it was the plain truth. I was _so_ glad when I could tell him _that_ one thing. I thought I would be _fine_ after telling him I was like that—it was a long time ago too. A year? No. It was definitely longer than that—but he hadn't pushed me away. He repeated himself—more than once, on that too.

He wouldn't push away. But he wouldn't pull in closer.

Apparently that was _my_ job.

And now I was probably pushing him away more, with what I said. Hell, I couldn't even _look_ at him—

Suddenly, the mattress sank a bit, closer to me, and it made me—for better or for worse—turn my head towards him.

For better or for worse.

I didn't know which one it was.

Should I be happy that he's worried?

Or should I be sad?

-------(Kanda's POV)-------

He turned right at the wrong moment. I had leaned forward enough to be a few inches closer, not much, but he still noticed. I hadn't meant anything by it—but I knew that was a lie. I had raised my hand too—not sure _why_, but I did.

And now he looked confused, but he was _still_ rambling.

'_He's nervous.' _

At least I guessed that much.

'_Not just sleepy. Nervous. Nervous about _what?'

Probably saying what he did.

He probably wanted to take it back.

'_But how much?' _

And why did it worry me so much? It wasn't like me—

-------(Lavi's POV)-------

It wasn't like him.

To be worried.

With a hand outstretched, like he wanted to comfort me.

Maybe my timing was bad for once, but he didn't know what to do now.

Or maybe my timing was _good_, because I caught him in an act of kindness I _knew_ he didn't want to get caught it.

I wasn't sure if I was nervous anymore. Or at least—wasn't _nervous_ for the same reasons as before.

-------(Kanda's POV)-------

His mouth shut. Or, it was hanging open, but no sound came out. Now he was calculating, in whatever way of his he had, and he wouldn't take his eyes off me. Not _me_—as in my face me, but my hand, still outstretched across the distance between us, closer to my body than his own, unsure.

I didn't know if I wanted to drop it, now, or not. To pull it back, or not. Something told me I shouldn't, but holding it there would be—

I looked down at the sheets when I felt his eyes flicker to my face.

"What?"

I glanced up, far enough to see his lips twist to a smile.

"Shouldn't I be askin' _Yuu_ that?" He wondered, suspicion gone, nervousness still there, but almost gone.

"Well what if _Yuu_ doesn't have the answer."

And I had no idea why I felt like playing along. It only seemed to amuse him more.

"Then I guess I'll ask _Yuu_ again, till he figures it out." I didn't know if he truly _was_ going to ask the question or not, but he did a moment later, "What'cha doin, Yuu?"

My dignity was what kept my eyes from falling again, "_Ordering_," I lowered my voice, almost immediately, "you to go back to sleep."

He raised an eyebrow—I managed to glance enough of his face for that—"But you'll just dream again."

"So? What else do you suggest we do?"

I _just_ wanted to say "So"—why the _hell_ did I have to add on _more_ to that—

"I dunno. We _were_ talkin', or at least I was." He mulled this over, playfully, "But then, y'can 't really talk with a sore throat. Want more water?"

I mutely nodded my head and he quickly took the glass and handed it back to me. I took a few sips—him, watching me, disturbingly—before handing it back to him.

"Better?"

I nodded my head.

"Good," his smile twisted to a friendlier one, "Do y'really wanna go back to bed though? Hell—I'm tired, it's after four in the morning, and we _should_ be getting to bed—"

"Stating the obvious." I muttered out, but at the same time looking over at the ill-placed clock—one with an actual minute hand, not digital. Four…almost four thirty.

"Yeah," he laughed, lightly, "We _should _get t'bed though. Do y'think they'd get on t'us for sleeping in class? It's not High School anymore—"

"You did it enough then."

He pouted for half a second, before agreeing, "—True, but I don't think they _would_. It _is_ University."

I didn't respond. Honestly, I didn't really _care_ what he did. We were only in one class together this semester—Photography—and I _knew_ she would probably bite his head off if he slept in there. He knew it too.

"But I see your point."—_I made a point_?—he continued on after speculating the answer to his question—or my silence—or maybe just a random thought in that idiot brain of his, "We probably _should_ get to sleep. It's more practical—time usage, anyway. Heck, you've got a class _how_ early in the morning again?"

I looked at the clock again, "Nine thirty."

He thought that over, "Yeah—so _you_ definitely need sleep."

I shot him a _'Yes I already know that'_ look, and he grinned.

"I'll try t'sleep too. Can't guarantee it, though."

I let out a near silent sigh, "You will."

"Y'sound like y'know that for sure."

I tilted my head, slightly, to the side, "Yes. I do."

He thought _that_ over too—which was probably one of the reasons I liked him. I never had to say much for him to understand.

Wait.

_Like?_

I didn't get a chance to mull—_not that I would_—over it, not before he was laughing, "Yeah, yeah, you probably _would_ know, wouldn't ya? I mean—I was the _King_ of Saturday School!"

I couldn't say anything to that.

"Heck—I'd even _sleep_ in Saturday School, which'd give me even _more_ Saturday School—" I let him ramble to himself for a few minutes—maybe I liked _that_ about him too. He would talk so much sometimes that he wouldn't even _notice_—

But then he would, sometimes, too.

And there was that damn _'like'_ word again.

Like, like, like.

"Damn, I _was_ a glutton for Punishment, wasn't I?" He was talking like it was so long ago. Well—it was a _year_, yes but—

"Tch."

He gave me an odd look. Then, a second later, "Yuu?"

"What?" I flinched.

He looked skeptical, "Did I…?" and immediately—_immediately_—

"Tch," I turned away.

"Yuu."

I finally managed to drop my hand to my side. He was worried again.

"Did I say somethin'—oi, wait," he whacked himself lightly on the head, "yeah—sleep. You need sleep, sorry, sorry."

He sounded like he meant it—and I was sure he did, but—

'_I do need my sleep.' _I shifted, for a moment, before leaning back against the soft mattress—which seemed too soft now—back against the foreign pillow—

"Right, sleep." I felt Lavi shift, and fall back on the bed as well, "Right." He repeated, "Sorry, I'll just…lay here and—" he cut himself off with silence, and I actually thought he was _going_ to stay quiet, but of course, I was wrong.

Because, a second later, he muttered, "Did I say somethin' wrong again?" he was _worried._

"No." And I decided to answer, "You _didn't_. Go to _sleep_."

"But—" he chose now of all times to doubt himself—intentional or not.

"Tch, you worry too much."

He was silent. Then, softly, he whispered, "What?" I buried my head even further into the pillow. I could almost _guess_ what he said next—but I knew it'd be wrong. It had to be wrong. I never _got_ him anyway. "You're…_worried?" _

Wait. _What_?

A second later and I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist, "Yuu's worried about me!" he sang, softly—_right in my ear_—

"I am _not_." I turned, struggled, and managed to shoot him a glare, "Why the hell would I—"

His grin was what cut me off. Happy, and content, and—

Oh _hell_.

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…**The fluff. Dammit. The **_**fluff**_**. It's just –pokes it- FLUFF! Sc-scary…scary…but, ah, I felt like upping the dosage a bit in this chapter (since the last one, it was obviously non-existent), but it also raises a few questions, and there's some plot development (at least, where Kanda's concerned), so it's not all fluff-without-a-point. Now then, I also wrote this horribly late at night (finished it up around 1AM), when I was supposed to be memorizing a Unit Circle for math. But as it goes, I obviously didn't do that—which means that my test grade possibly rests at the fault of this chapter, so I really hope you enjoyed it at my expense (not that I entirely mind, of course)!**

**As always, Have questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review!**

**-Buckets full of fluffiness**

**-Harmony283 **


	18. Connection pt I

**Chapter 17's here (yes I introduce all my chapters this way—I have them ALL on the same document, so it makes it easy to look stuff up after reading some on FF –random info FTW-), and –gasp- I'm introducing yet ANOTHER (2)POV(s)! This time it's Lenalee's and..someone elses (at the end). Why? Because I thought it'd be interesting. So yes, this takes place the next day, and you figure out that school has been delayed for two hours due to the massive power outage the night before. As Lenalee hears this, she's also contemplating on how to deal with seeing Allen the next day (and, obviously, why he spent the night at Road's uncles place), so she decides to call one sleepy red-head to get some answers--but what will he tell her? And what more will Allen actually figure out? And what--oh...just read the chapter and find out! -laughs- **

**Again thanks for the super wonderful reviews! –hugs- (they're especially wonderful mood lifters!) **

**IMPORTANT NOTE: If someone can find a really cute Japanese girl's name (though preferably unisex) and tell me via review/PM it would be greatly appreciated! It'll be important for the next chapter! (which yes, I'm writing already) **

**Note 2: Not that I really need another one, but I've been going back and re-reading D. Gray Man (actually saving some pages/chapters for future reference), and yeah, it's super motivational right now XD which of course means—be on the lookout for other in-timeline character's (Such as the Captains/General's)! –had a fun time writing this chapter- ('specially the ending) **

**Anon Reviews: (putting as an actual section, since I got a ton—you may skip if you wish) **

**Tokitoh: **I was actually about to check the date on the last chapter (when I updated it) to see how fast _this_ update was, so thanks for keeping track of that for me XD (and yes, this ones roughly a week later too, how ironic) Eh well, yes it would be more convenient, but as long as I remember to answer, it wouldn't make much of a difference (except, of course, you'd actually _get_ the review reply when you review). 10 years? Woooow…that's…err, I've only been reading fanfics since 7th grade (ish—which would be…5 years). Hrm, well you could say I'm not _afraid_ of it, I just don't like it in large doses. Ahaha really? Poor Lavi! He's already got a concussion (probably), we don't need to make it worse! (it is?o.o) –laughs- and as I (think I) said before—I don't mind. And yes, it really WAS all about Kanda, Lavi, and a bed (but not in the way you _think_ it would be…or it might, but, you get it, right? XD), about the whole hair-cut thing, again I don't want to say much on it since I'm horrible about changing my mind at the last minute (hence why I only said it was a promise, and left it at that) , but I hope you'll like it, however it turns out. An' I know the Unit Circle isn't horrible. It's just annoying (since we had to memorize it last year—and take a 10minute-or-under quiz), since the teacher said it wouldn't be timed, yet she yells at us after 10 minutes is up –shakes head- (not that it's hard, since I remember most of it, I just don't like being _timed_ –is afraid she'll blank out-). But ANYWAYS—thanks so much for the uber long review again! (which, hah, I wrote a paragraph response! Wee!) –hugs-

**Shiki105: **-laughs- I'm very glad you thought so! (glad I didn't screw it up either) I highly doubt my grades will suffer from fanfiction, but time is definitely an issue (do homework or write fanfiction? Hrm...). But anyways, thanks so much for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter! -hugs-

**cubwub: **And that makes me very happy! (you know I don't mind rants, though considering I got more anon. reviews then normal, that might be a good thing o.o -since her review replies, naturally, are much longer than the actual review). Sooo I guess I shall say thanks so much for the review! And I hope you enjoy this next chapter! -hugs-

**Brizu: **Well considering I've been uploading early for the past couple of weeks, I'm assuming it's a good thing for you, then? But as for the time between the chapters...yeah, it's really confusing (either way you think of it--time as in, the times I actually upload them, or times as it's literally taken in the fic) but I at least know where the fic is concerned, there might be a few major 'jumps' soon. I'm not sure though, and in the end I'll just see what comes out. It took you that long? Well I guess all I can say (again) is if you have any question's I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability? (because yes it can get annoying when you realllly don't get something in a story, and thus I'll try to ease the confusion as much as possible--so don't be afraid to ask!). Oh don't worry, at the pace I'm going it definitely tells you this is my favorite story by far! So expect many more updates to feed your ever growing curiosity! And of course--thanks so much for the awesome review! -hugs-I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

**Anime-Mastah: **-laughs- I'm glad you do! Really (s-stalker! -laughs-) well as long as you keep reviewing now (that I know that, anyway) it'll be fine! Yes it does seem to be some sort of massive puzzle, doesn't it? And I can't exactly guarentee that any answers will be brought forth immediately, but I do know that at least some of the edges (or connections, anyway) become a bit clearer by the end of this chapter. I'm especially glad that you love re-reading (or at least, don't mind it) since I find it very useful (and fun) too. You're very welcome and thanks so much for the review! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! -smiles and hugs-

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**(Lenalee's POV)**

He spent the night at Road's Uncle's house. Road's _uncles_ house—almost literally hers. With Kanda—and Lavi—it was good to hear _they _were okay too, but—_how_ did it turn out like that? And why did she want to talk to me?

'_I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous.' _I squeezed my arms just a little harder at the thought, _'I'm not—I can't be but—'_

Would it have been better if I was angry too? But then—who would I be angry _at_? Allen? No—I couldn't be. Yeah he was dense, but it was _my_ fault for waiting until he was taken—_'But he said Lavi told him'—'But he probably thought he was wrong, or being Lavi—'But they're practically like brothers'—_That was definitely true—_'So why wouldn't he listen to him? Why did he say anything?' _

I let out a sigh, "He's…too nice." Even his _rejection_ was nice—but I knew it was going to happen eventually. I knew already that it was going to be painful—I had heard girls talking about their feelings being crushed once they confessed—but _they_ got over it. They laughed about it, even two days afterwards. I wanted to be like that. Not crushed—and smiling.

Like Road.

I couldn't hate Road either. She just moved here, not even three months ago. I couldn't hate her for being new and different—and for being drawn to Allen. If I could see something in him then that meant _others_ must see something too—except Kanda. He only saw him as 'the beansprout', and there would be nothing short of amnosity between them.

I let out a choked giggle, _'But they still managed to be friends.' _

All thanks to Lavi.

The thought passed, briefly, through my mind—he'd be the perfect person to talk to about…_this_. He knew Allen. He knew—he knew _all_ of us. Much better than he probably _should_—or would like, in Kanda's case—but we needed that.

'_I should call him.' _

But it was a school day, and he had classes. They both did.

'_What time does his last class end?' _it struck me then, that I didn't know. Not really, _'Maybe I should call him?' _I looked over at the clock—I had roughly an hour before I had to leave school—would he even be _up_ now?

'_With the power outage last night—if I didn't have my cellphone alarm, I wouldn't know what time it was.' _I looked down at my cellphone, lying on my desk, with a picture of me, Allen, and Kanda, standing in front of a carnival tent—the colored version. I was sure Lavi had the black and white one, and that it was most likely hanging somewhere in their shared apartment.

which reminded me.

_They share an apartment._

Or rather, they share Kanda's newly rented flat.

Any other time and I would have speculated _why_ that was—but now the 'why' was more like the reason _why_ I was calling him. _'After all, he agreed to give me another picture of Kanda.' _I smiled at myself in the mirror, "Right. That's why I'll call him."

'_But this early in the morning?' _

Actually, it would probably be better, _'And since Road and Allen have to get ready too—they're all probably awake anyway.'_

Assuming Road and Allen didn't 'skip', which I knew Allen wouldn't, even _if_—then images of last night—and what little I saw of it—came back.

Komui forcing me out of the room, half-drunk, but half-sober from Cross—and from Allen, and from _whoever_ that woman had been and—how worried he'd been last night, but then how _tired_ and—

'_I expected Allen to call.' _The dull pain came back, _'I'm not mad at him. No—upset.' _That was the word, _'I wanted him to call me. But—'_ he didn't, and instead Road _did_, _'Which means Allen's cellphone either died or got destroyed—again.' _

Which made me wonder, _'Will he be at school today?' _and_ 'What about Cross?' _

I shoved that thought away quickly. It was better that Allen wasn't with him at the moment—especially not if he was still as drunk as he had been—

"Lenalee!" I jumped at the rapt knocking on my door—it was Komui, sounding worried, "Are you up yet, doll?"

I sighed inwardly at the sign of affection, "Yes, brother, I am."

"Good," he exhaled in relief, "It seems like some of the town is still without power—including most of downtown, meaning your school is—"

Wait, "_What_?" I hurried over to the door, flinging it open—disregarding the fact that I had been _standing_ in front of my mirror to decide what to wear for the day, and thus, was still in my pajama's—an overly baggy shirt, and shorts—"The storm wasn't even that bad!"

"Yes but," he glanced away from me, again worried, "they were doing some construction—you know that detour we always have to take, about a block away from the school?" I nodded my head quickly, "they were working on the wiring, and it apparently short circuited—the news said they're working on it now, but that school would be delayed for two hours."

That immediately killed my 'for how long' question, "What about the Universities?"

He blinked, confused, "Why do you want to know that?"

"Because—" oh, of course he'd get protective, "I was planning on calling Lavi."

"Why?"

I knew he'd ask that, so again I smiled and answered, "Because—I'm not sure if you heard or not, but he's living with Kanda now, in his apartment." For a moment he still kept his suspicious look, but then it slowly turned to surprise when the words finally sunk in.

And now it was _his_ turn to ask the questions, "What? Why?"

"I think it's for convenience sake—and apparently Bookman isn't…here, or something." The only reason I knew _that_ was because of his bad habit for picking up and answer any sort of call before Lavi could, "And besides—I haven't _seen_ either of them for nearly the entire summer—with the summer courses they both took."

This made him relax, "I see, well, you really haven't, so it's understandable. But I believe they might still have classes today—unless their actual Professor's can't make it."

That confused me, but not for long, "Oh right—it's not like a whole _school_ or anything, lucky them. But," I looked over at my blinking clock—I still needed to change the time on it—"Do you think they'd be up now?"

"Probably not, if they don't have classes till late." Komui shrugged, "I'd say call them during lunch but the likely hood of you being _caught _is quite high—which reminds me," he didn't even let me say anything to that, "Have you gotten a call from Allen?"

Actually—that might _help _with explaining the situation to him. I shook my head, "No," he deflated slightly, "But I got a call from Road."

His eyes lit up, "Ah, yes she's—" he cut that sentence off, worry fliting over his face, "why?"

I leaned against my doorframe, "Well—I don't know—or didn't know—either. But she told me Allen was with her." His face relaxed then tensed up again, "They're at her Uncles house, and apparently Lavi knows her Uncle somehow—and they somehow wound up 'kidnapping'—" his expression was shocked now, "—Allen from his house, and now Lavi, Kanda, _and_ Allen are—or were, I guess—sleeping over at her Uncle's place."

"_That's_…" he paused, thinking of the right word, but gave up halfway through and instead continued, "why you asked why they'd be up?" I nodded my head, "You can try. You might wake him up though, if he slept as much during class as you _said_ he did, he's probably a late sleeper normally."

I wanted to laugh at that, but for some reason didn't, "Probably."

"Just make sure to get something to eat. We'll leave twenty minutes before ten," he leaned down, pecking me lightly on the forehead with a quick kiss, before rushing off down the hall—most likely to call his workplace—or Reever—or Johnny—to say he'd be in late because of me.

They _definitely _weren't going to be happy with him, _'But are they ever? He takes off so much because of me.' _I smiled lightly, at the thought. Yes I felt bad about it but—

I heard him trip and fall over something, and sighed, muttering, "Big brother." Under my breath before turning and walking back in my room—shutting the door behind me. I crawled back on my bed, grabbing my cellphone along the way, before collapsing back on the pillows, and, after just lying there, scrolling through the names until I reached Lavi's—all the way at the bottom of my list.

I selected it in an instant, then waited. Waited through the dial tone—which seemed too loud—then through the trill rings—and, at first I didn't think he _would_ pick up, but then—he _did_?

"'_ello?"_ A sleepy sounding Lavi grumbled over the phone—I could hear the shuffling of covers behind him, like he was just getting up.

"Lavi!" Immediately I heard the sheets cease to move, "I'm sorry for calling so early—did I wake you up?"

He let out a massive yawn before answering that, _"Not really. Yuu's been tryin' to force me up for the past couple 'o minutes, so it's fine."_

I exhaled, "Good, good, I'm glad you picked up though, I was thinking you wouldn't since—" the sound of someone cheering in the background cut me off, followed by—

"_that means school's probably canceled! Isn't that great, Allen? This way you don't _have_ to go to school!" _

That was followed by Lavi grumbling, _"Once sec, lem'me close the door. They're ecstatic about a damn power outage." _He yawned again, _"I'm sure Komui told ya that already though, right?" _

"Yes he did. It's only two hours though," I suddenly felt the urge to yawn as well, but I swallowed it, "Komui's using it as an excuse though—not to go to the lab until Lunch time."

That made me him laugh, _"Jeez, he really hates work doesn't he?" _

"I think he does it half to annoy them," I laughed lightly as well, "and I don't think it does anyone any good."

_"Prob'ly not." _Another yawn, _"But y'obviously called t'ask me somethin', care t'tell me now? Or did ya just try ta call again—cuz Kanda said y'tried to call before, and—"_

"You weren't home." I finished for him, "That's half of it. I'd actually like to ask you about something." I knew he was probably about to ask what that 'something' was, but I cut him off before he could, "But first I need to know your class schedule, are they canceling anything for you?"

"Tyki's checkin' that right now." He answered back, then clarified, "Tyki's Road's Uncle—he's actually in one o' Yuu's classes. He says that one's at least canceled, though, cuz the teacher had a tree fall an' block the damn road."

I winced, "Really…"

"_But knowin' one teacher of ours—she'll _make_ us come, even during a hurricane." _

"Your photography teacher?" I guessed.

He was silent for a moment, _'How'd y'know?" _but he was laughing.

"I guessed." I answered back truthfully, "what time is that class?"

"Four in th' afternoon. Why? Y'want to meet up somewhere afterwards?"

"If you aren't busy," I hastily replied back, "I mean—if you are then—"

He cut me off with a laugh, _'Nah, nah, Yuu _said_ I probably need t'call you anyway.' _Then, lower, he added, _'Nothin' y'need to tell me right now, though?' _

I could tell from his tone of voice that he knew already. It almost made my resolve crack. Almost—and I had been building it up since last night. I exhaled, "I'm fine, don't worry. I'll…tell you everything there."

'_Which means y'definitely don't wanna talk to Allen right now.' _My heart clenched, and for a moment he was silent—I could've sworn I heard a door open from his end of the line, _'Ah—yeah, yeah I'm awake now.' _He had pulled the phone a bit away from his ear—talking to whoever had come to get him, _'It's Lenalee.' _

The other person muttered something unintelligible, and then I heard the door shut again. _'Jeez, he needs to calm down.' _

"Kanda?"

he seemed to realize he was still on the phone, _'Yeah. I think he's gettin' a bit peeved at me for answering my cell, though. Considerin' I forgot it an' all.' _

That made me laugh, "Well tell him I said 'hi', okay?"

'_If 'e doesn't chop my head off.' _He answered back, lowly, probably not intending for me to hear, _'I swear I'm surprised he didn't do that when we woke up.'_

…

"We?"

There was another loud crash, _'Ah, shit—sorry Lena,' _his voice was hurried and rushed, _'S-Somethin's goin' on out there—ah, and we still need ta get Kanda's photo taken for a project and—gotta go!' _

Just as he hung up I heard a door on the other end open—

Wait.

_What_?

**-------(Lavi's POV)-------**

"Are you _sure_ you wanna go in to school today?" I heard Road ask immediately as I stepped out of the room. She was hanging on his left arm again, face nearly pressed against his, "I mean—you still look really pale and you've got _no_ balance whatsoever."

And there was Kanda, in the corner, fuming.

"It's not that—" Allen tried to correct her, "I'm just—not careful, and I'm not very lucky so I've got bad timing."

And Kanda noticed me, for a second, before quickly looking away.

"But he hit you in the face with the door." Her voice was mixed with worry, and deadpan all the same, "I didn't think you'd _do_ that intentionally."

"I didn't say I did." Again he was trying, vainly, to correct her, and Kanda actually was _trying_ to not notice me. It was cute. Almost.

I slipped my cellphone into my back pocket and took a step forward, "Wha' happened?" My voice sounded much sleepier than I wanted it to, but it gained their attention—even _Kanda_ turned his head, only to turn it back.

"What's it look like?" Road wasn't mad though, "_Allen_ refuses to stay home when it'd do him some good!"

"Don't'cha mean 'Allen refuses to let me baby him till he wants to jump out a window and die?" I jolted when I felt Tyki come up behind me, smelling of pineapples, shaving crème, and smoke from his favorite brand of cigarette—Mortel.

Kanda fidgeted, ever so slightly, lips twitching.

"_No_!"

"Well what else were ya plannin' on doing with 'im home all by your lonesome?" Now _I _wanted to laugh.

"_Tyki_ you're talking like an uncivilized person again!"

He stretched his limbs and yawned, "Eh, am I?"

"Yeah!" but it was obvious she was about to laugh too.

Then he made the mistake of wrapping said appendages around_ me_, "I dun' think so."

"Really?" Road wasn't the least bit bothered by it, Allen didn't even seem to notice, and _Kanda_—was looking away again, like he didn't want to be here.

'_Figures.' _

But I forced a smile on my face anyway, "I think I know what the problem is!"

He nuzzled his face into the side of my neck, and I tried hard not to let my breath catch when he exhaled, whispering, "Hmm?"

"It's a rabid hoard of pac man—they're eating at your brains!"**(1)** _That_ was the only thing I could think up of.

And for a moment the whole room was silent, then, suddenly, _Kanda_ was one who spoke up—in the form of a barked, and not entirely _there_ laughter—"_What_?"

But. Really.

Kanda was _laughing_

And it was because of something _I_ said.

**-------(Allen's POV about 2 hours later)-------**

Kanda laughing.

Kanda and laughing _never_ went in the same sentence, and yet they somehow forced their way together—and _that_ made up the two hours of our supposed free time. The two hours in which I had to ask myself probably _more_ than I had to on my last History test—which, granted, wasn't very much since I actually _liked_ history.

First was, _'Why is Road worrying so much?' _she had seen me fall—trip—or generally lose my balance countless times before in the short time that I had actually _known_ her—and she would just brush it off and laugh (granted, half the time it _was_ her fault to begin with, but I pushed that thought aside). But now she asked like my life depended on it, like it was some excuse she could use, but it wasn't 'excuse' worthy. It was like she—I carefully cut that thought off before it could go anywhere.

Second was, _'I didn't know Lavi was gay.' _Followed by, _'I didn't know Road's father's younger brother was gay.' _Which made it awkward. But then that wasn't much of a question. It was more of a guess, maybe, hypothetical at best, but he hadn't tried to push Tyki away at _all_—_'Not that he seemed to enjoy it too much,' _my mind interjected, which was a good point I knew. And the fact that he was asleep, leaning against Kanda in the backseat—with Tyki glaring daggers at them from the rearview mirror—made me that much more curious.

Which led to _'Why's he tried to hide it for so long?' _that was an actual question, _'Kanda seems to know.'_ Considering how the whole "Tyki-cling" scene bothered him, but _didn't_—or at least Lavi's part of it didn't. I wanted to know about that too—but it was _Kanda_, why would _he_ say anything more than he ever had to?

That was the third question. The fourth was, obviously, _'Why did Kanda find Lavi so funny?' _maybe he really _was_ going crazy—first giving Lavi a concussion for a stupid statement, and then yelling at him repeatedly to get up. But then along _with_ the laugh was the cough—he had started _coughing_ again—

Again only because Lavi mentioned it—with a curse and a, _'Not again—get some water Tyki!' _which Tyki obeyed.

I knew he coughed sometimes, everybody did, but that usually meant someone was _sick_ and—as far as I knew, which wasn't much—Kanda didn't look or _act _sick at all. Lavi hadn't even treated it like a sickness either—he just asked for water, not a cough drop, or cough syrup, or anything.

It made my head hurt.

But then—I couldn't think about _that_ long either—even though, technically I was, because I am now, and it's a good deal _after_ when it actually happened—came along the, what? Fifth question?

'_Why is Lenalee waiting for me?' _though it was probably stupid, I didn't think she _would_. Sure she usually did, sure Road called her and talked to her, so she _knew _I'd be arriving with Road—but _why_?

The moment she saw me she looked sad. But then she hid it, carefully, behind a smile, and a bright, "Good morning!"

That was enough, apparently, to wake Lavi up, who jolted for a second, rubbing his eyes, before peering through the still open door—where Road had just hopped out. For a moment he didn't look like he knew where he was, but then it registered, and he let out a groan, sitting back up, "I remember this place!" he said through a yawn, stretching his arms as far as they could reach.

"Good morning to _you_ Lavi," Lenalee giggled, "and Kanda too." Kanda just turned his head, slightly, glancing at her before quickly looking towards the window again.

Lavi, on the other hand, greeted her warmly, "G'morning to you too!" he flashed a grin, "How've you been?"

Before he could get that answered, though, the five-minute bell started to ring, completely changing the topic of her sentence, "Ah—well—I'll call you later? Or something?"

"Nah, nah," he smiled back, "Do y'think Komui'd mind dropping you off at the University right at five? We can go out t'eat or something."

If this had been anyone else it would've sounded like a date—_'wait, but, he never out right _said_ he was—'_

"Yuu can come too if 'e wants." He grinned back at Kanda, who looked only mildly surprised, and who returned the comment with a shrug, "Okay then—see y'tonight!"

That's when Road, rather unceremoniously, slammed the door shut, and latched onto me, "You can make plans _later_!" She latched her free arm around Lenalee's, grinning, "We're gonna be late! Remember—our homeroom's halfway across the _building_ now! All because—" she shot a look back at the car, like it finished her statement.

Which, of course, she didn't finish herself.

Because she's Road

She's like that.

I smiled, "Yeah—you're right." And I let her drag me away

**-------(Cloud's POV –some point later in the day, before 4PM-)-------**

"I don't like it." He sniffled, unceremoniously, blowing his nose a second later—making me cringe, "I don't like it _at all_."

"I think we get that," he tried to hand the handkerchief back to me, but I held my hand up in refusal, "really. Don't we Marie?" The blind boy—well, _man_ now, he had been a boy when I last saw him—turned to me and nodded his head. "See? We all understand it."

"Then you should be _crying_." He honked his nose into the kerchief again, rubbing his now-red eyes, "Shouldn't you? I'm not—overly sensitive, am I?"

I wanted so badly to roll my eyes, but I didn't, "You should already know the answer to that." I looked back down at the grave we stood in front of—it was well kept, for a grave, anyway. Like someone came to visit it every week, just to clean it up—which I was sure didn't happen, _he_ wasn't that sentimental. He hadn't even cried at their death. Then I remembered—I had been saying something, "It would be completely _un_like you if you didn't burst out in tears at the mere mention of it."

Then he started to bawl—and I continued to cringe, as _he_ continued to blow his nose—and even Marie looked slightly disgusted—who _wouldn't_ be in the long run?

"Saying that," the man sobbed, "Saying that just makes it _worse_."

"We don't mean anything by it," Marie hesitantly tried to soothe, "I'm sure he cried just as much as you—in private."

I wanted to say how untruthful that was—but I didn't know. Yes I had gone to the funeral—shed tears—but I didn't know the family that well. I had only heard about them, in passing, as old friends—not particularly powerful, but they had connections.

Connections that had apparently killed them.

His sobbing got that much louder, "He was going to be my apprentice—he _was_—he has _so much talent_!" he dropped the soiled cloth on the grave, only to stoop down and immediately pick it back up again, "And it was gone—just like _that_ because they _died_! They're the reason he's still staying here—" he hiccupped messily, "—it must be so painful."

"But teacher," again Marie tried to be respectful, leaning down carefully, "he's moved on—you do know that, right?" he placed a hand, carefully, on his sobbing teacher's shoulders, "it's been _years_ since they've died."

"Years are like days to a close person's soul." It was muted, and _terribly_ poetic—even to me, who knew next to nothing about poetry—like something he would write on an artistic masterpiece, "He must still have _some_ recollection of it."

Then the sound of footsteps.

I turned my head, violently, and there, drunk—as _always_—and teetering, hair in a tangled red mess, was _Cross_—just to make things worse, of course.

He didn't look like he particularly knew why he was standing there, but then he never really _did_ and yet he _still_ got into so much crap, "I can't," he started, breath slightly labored, "I can't tell whether or not you're selfish, or whether you love that kid more than your own family."

Immediately his head bolted upright, eyes bright red, still filled to the brim, "Ah—Cross." He answered in a thick sort of way, "What are…are you actually here to pay respects to the dead?"

For a moment his eyes fell to the graves before darting back up to focus on me, "Not…Not really."

"Then?" I took one step forward as he did, "What're you here for?"

"Aren't you tired?" He was eyeing me again, in that familiar way of his—flattering, yes, from anyone _else_ but him.

Naturally, I asked, "Tired of what?"

He turned his eyes back to the grave, "You keep _mourning_ for the loss of people who're long dead. It's like you wanna die along with them." He took a few more, bold steps forward, which I equally matched. Now there was no space in between us.

"You know just as well as I do—_none_ of us wants to join them." I answered him plainly, hearing Marie move, slightly, until he was standing—another protective wall in front of his teacher.

"Of course you don't." he agreed, side-stepping me entirely, and taking another bold handful of steps. Now he was in front of Marie, "You're looking well."

Marie didn't respond. I was almost too—no.

I turned around, "_What_ are you doing here Cross?" If I didn't force an answer he'd never leave.

He cast a glance at me, "Don't be so suspicious Cloud—we're one in the same, in the end, right?" he then turned his gaze, once more to the grave and—to my, as well as Marie's, surprise—leaned down, on one knee, head bowed, "May the--continue to rest in peace."

"So you _were_ here to pay r-respects." The sniffling artistic man whispered, rubbing his eyes again, "I _knew_ there had to be some goodness left in you."

A small smile formed on the sinner man's lips at that, "Heh—y'think?" He straightened up, eyes turning towards the sky, "Wish I could say that's all I'm here for."

'_So he'll actually tell us?' _

He looked back at me, "Yes I'll actually tell ya—woman. Do you _think_ I'd go out of my way to see you again?"

That would have hurt—again, had it been anyone else other than Cross, "I would _hope _not." I crossed my arms over my chest—but his eyes never followed them, like he used to. In fact, for a moment they almost looked—

_Sad?_

"Good." The sadness was gone in an instant—like I had only, what? _Imagined_ it? Like I could _imagine_ some damn emotion on his face _except_ lust—which I hated that I even knew _that_ much, "What I'm here for is actually a bit worse."

"And that would," a sniffle, "That be?" another sniffle, and a honk.

Marie continued for him, "What news would you have for us in front of a grave?"

He let out a sigh, "Actually it's rather suiting that it's in front of a grave—especially theirs." For one horrifying second I thought he might do something as vulgar ask kick the tomb stone, but he didn't.

"_Why_ does it have to be theirs?" I heard a bit of panic, and I couldn't help allowing it—that small little seed—to plant somewhere in the back of my mind.

He let out a barked laugh at that, "Well considering it has everything to do with their son—_wouldn't_ you think it was suiting?"

"Their—son?" Marie muttered, surprise echoing in his voice, and I was sure—if his eyes hadn't been—it would be in them too.

"Yuu? You mean _Yuu_?" Another sob, but it was drastically cut off.

"Of _course_ I mean that damn girly boy." Cross snapped back, gripping the man's shoulder and pulling him—almost violently—to his feet, "_Someone's_ playing the targeting game—and more than one person's involved."

"And how do you know this?" I felt the accusing words fall out of my mouth—and I didn't regret them. Who _would_? He had—the _betrayer_—he had helped—"And does it have anything to do with—"

"Let me get a damn thought out before you go accusing." He held his free hand up to silence me, and, effectively, it worked, "Do you _think _I found out by accident, first off?"

I shook my head.

"Do you _want_ to know who did it?"

I opened my mouth—hadn't I already been about to _guess_? The stupid man—but closed it nearly immediately.

"Then I'll say this: A little birdy told me."

"What kind of bird?" Marie asked before he could get another word in. I knew he couldn't see the glare, but he should have at least _felt_ it. "Well?"

"I won't tell you that," he relented, after a moment in silence, "but I _can_ say that there's an annoying little woodpecker in the midst of things—though I suppose it'd be more accurate to say he's a _rabbit_."

"Like Bugs Bunny?" Another sniffle, then a loud, "Ouch! Okay—okay, _but _wouldn't a name be—"

"I was _getting_ to that." He shot the man a glare, "So _as I was saying_—" his eyes fell on me again, "It's an annoying rabbit with flaming red hair—that absolutely _loves_ books."

Books—books—

'_Who has red hair that loves—'_

The realization hit me, "Oh God—you don't mean—"

"I _do_ mean." He cut me off, "And what's worse is I have no idea whose side he's on."

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**(1)-Creative Writing Reference from last year (someone literally put this in their story—it was hilarious XD) **

**And three of the Captains meet in front of Yuu's parent's graves for a dire conversation that probably **_**doesn't**_** make any sense. Yet. But hey—Kanda's officially my second favorite character in the series (again—like I said, I've been re-reading Man), so his past is obviously very, very important. I also like Cloud Nine, and I hope to do something more with her in future chapters. **

**As always: Have Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review!**

**-Till the next chapter (which apparently I'm updating this fic almost weekly now—feel happy, since that's **_**rare**_** –can't guarantee when it'll suddenly stop-)**

**Harmony283 **


	19. Connection pt 2

**Chapter EIGHTEEN, and because I'm not that evil—I'm starting this chapter where the last one left off. Something's up, and Cross, as always, seems to know what it is. The only issue is—he isn't spilling, and it's obvious he won't until he gets whatever he wants. Which—he isn't saying what **_**that**_** is either. So the three generals decide to go and pay a visit to Lavi—to get some answers (hopefully). Only problem is, will they run into him on time? Or will something happen to change their agenda?**

**Note: Thanks for the name submissions! You'll see which one I use in this chapter (and also, I have **_**fanart**_** up of the actual character—if anyone wants to see it, for visual reference). **

**Anon Reviews:**

**Brizu: **I'm definitely trying to do that now –hopes she can remember-. Well as long as you get it now, then it's fine. Ah thanks (mental note: don't use the spellcheck on the old computer—it has all _sorts_ of words spelled wrong) –changed it-. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! Writing (in general) is a stress reliever for me so it's good to hear it helped out someone in the same way. –laughs- I get what you mean, I wouldn't want this to be 'OMG SUSPENSE' either, because then I'd have to update it constantly in order to not feel the wrath of the reviewers XD. But anyway—thanks so much for the review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**TokyoDarjeeling: **Really? So this fic is a bunch of firsts for you (that's always a good thing). I'm glad you think I write well, and yes I agree with you that there aren't very many well-written fanfics out there, which is saddening IMO (especially for those who wish to take writing seriously—as in, possibly make a job out of it, as I plan to do), but there _are_ some good ones, you just have to look. That's a relief –always worries about OOCness- especially since this is an AU, sure it's fine in some amounts, but if it's gets too much then it just kills the stories believability. –laughs- I don't mind rants, in fact I love listening to them (as long as they're positive, of course) Actually I was using the French word for Pineapple (though yes I like using different languages for names), and I actually use the French name for things on many different occasions (or at least, I LIKE to anyway –hasn't done it very much yet-), it's quite fun IMO. And of course thanks so much for the awesome review—and I hope you like this chapter as well! –hugs-

**Shiki105: **Ahaha sorry but…I'm glad you think so? And to answer your theories: Yup they did know them, yes someone's trying to target Kanda (whether or not they're part of the Noah clan, or likewise, is up to interpretation at this point), as for if they want to kill him, that's left up in the air as well. Lavi does play a role in the protector, but yes, do keep in mind he has his reasons too. Actually you'll be meeting the Rat fairly soon (won't say when), and they do play a role in this as well, as does Tasha (the woman Cross was drinking with). Allen fits in because he's connected to Cross, who still bears a connection with his mother, who has a connection to someone else. –trying not give away too much there- and yes, I was actually doing that intentionally XD It's supposed to show you how Cloud thinks of him. BUT ANYWAYS thanks so much for the review! –hugs- and here's the update you were looking for—enjoy!

**--------------------------------------------------------**

**(Cloud's POV) **

"You know him?" Marie seemed border lined shocked, "But you've never _met_—we are talking about the same person, right?" he seemed confused and I couldn't blame him.

"No—but based on the description—"

"Then it's probably a better guess she knows 'im a hell load better than you two do." Cross cut me off, shifting his weight between his feet before sitting, roughly, on the ground.

Both Tiedoll and Marie flinched, but the teacher decided to speak up first, "He's been friends with Yuu ever since—I can't believe Lavi would—"

'_So the kid's name is Lavi?' _I didn't know if that should surprise me or not.

"Y'can't exactly believe everything y'hear."

"And _who_ exactly told you this kid was involved?" I butted in, "I don't doubt that he _is_ for a reason, but don't you think it would be a bit hypocritical if it turns out you got _that_ information from a less-than viable source?"

Cross gave me a deadpanned look before shrugging, "I'm jus' saying he's involved somehow. He got close to that girly-boy didn't he?" He looked down at the ground, then sighed, "He also got close to Allen, Lenalee, _and—"_

"Couldn't that just mean they're friends?" The hopeful artist tried to interject, "He _is_ allowed to have friends, right? We don't need to think _that_ badly of him, right?"

Cross turned to me again, "Whadd'ya think?"

All I could do was shrug, "I'd have to meet him first—unlike you I actually _like_ to meet up with someone before passing judgment."

His eyes narrowed, "Really. But he's—"

"I've been trained with some of the best actors." I reminded him, "I think I'd spot one if I saw one."

"Only if they wear a crap load if makeup." Cross snapped back, leaning his head back, "And are insanely—_insanely_ happy."

"Mana wasn't happy."

Well crap—I _knew_ shouldn't have said _that_.

But—he—"True,"

He must _really_ be drunk.

"But then again he was a crappy clown, all things considering."

Really drunk.

If my memory served me correctly—

'_**You gotta be kiddin' me—he's the best one there!' **_He had argued that point—_**'The only damn one able t'make **_**me**_** laugh!' **_

Unless if he was drunk then _too_—but that had been _how_ many years ago?

"We're getting off topic." I felt I had to say that even though _I_ was technically the one who changed it to begin with, or not really—but got off on a tangent—_'In One Line'—_

"You're fault."

"I know."

He looked mildly surprised—he even barked out a laugh, but killed it quickly, "Still—what if the kid's so good at acting that you can't tell he's acting anymore?"

"I don't think he'd do that." Marie spoke up, sounding incredulous at best.

"Yes but what if he _did_?" Cross snapped back, not sounding particularly angry—just annoyed.

"Then it would honestly surprise me." Tiedoll murmured, "I honestly would _not_ think Lavi would—would be acting to hurt us."

"So you think he's safe enough to trust?" Marie and Tiedoll both nodded their heads, "Even if he's acting?" Another firm nod from both of them, "Whatta 'bout you, Cloud?"

I shrugged, "I just said—I don't know him personally, I can't judge."

"Well you can actually _see_ him now if y'want."

A moment of silence. Then, "What?" in unison.

To which Cross responded with a rather rude point, "He's in thatta direction. I saw 'em in the park."

"What?" Now it was just Tiedoll, "Kanda's with him?" Cross nodded his head, "But shouldn't they have classes now? They go to the same University, correct?"

"Far as I know." He shrugged, "It's what Allen said."

That was maybe one of the few times I heard him call his—_not_ adoptive child—_not_ his roommate—the _one he had charge over?_ That didn't sound too nice, but then it probably _wasn't_ nice, for either of them—by his name.

His _name_.

That should have meant something.

"When did you see them?" Tiedoll didn't seem to notice what I did, or anything, he was wiping his eyes now with the same handkerchief, "Because if it's a while ago," he glanced at his watch, "they _should_ be back at class now. If they went out for lunch, I mean."

Cross shrugged again, "Not if their teachers canceled most of their classes." At our confused glances he clarified, "Massive power outage—last night."

"Ah—so they're still working on restoring the power?" Marie wondered, looking around even though, technically, he couldn't see, "So they obviously don't have power at the university then."

"I'm sure they do. But the individual_ professors_ might not, and probably decided to be lazy an' stay home."

That sounded almost like something _he_ would do.

"But anyway," he continued on, brushing a strand of hair away from his face, "Do y'wanna see 'em or not?"

"I would like to see Kanda again," Marie quickly put in, "I haven't seen him since Middle School, and I've only talked with him on the phone a few times. Same with Lavi."

"Yes, and I haven't seen him since then either." Froi mumbled, honking his nose again, "It would do me good."

"You sure you won't just start cryin' again?" I hadn't intended it—and Cross probably hadn't intended it either—but we had said that in near perfect unison, and now, like little kids on a playground, we were glaring at each other to see who got the rights to saying that.

Tiedoll didn't seem bothered by this, though, and, with another sniffle, nodded his head, "I'm one hundred percent positive. Or at least I _think_ I am."

"Because if you _do_ y'know he'll turn in the complete opposite direction." We all shot him a look, which he replied with a shrug and, "He an' the kid don't get along—but that Rabbit, and Lenalee both have a way of getting them stuck together. I know 'im a bit more than you think." A second of silence, "But I 'aven't slept with 'im, don't worry."

That was—that was—

"You really _will_ sleep with anything that walks on two legs, won't you?" _Why_ did I have to go and say _that_, of all things?

He grinned, "as long as they're pretty." He brushed his hair out of his eyes again, "Or I'm really, really drunk."

Followed by Tiedoll snorting in disgust, "You haven't touched the boy, have you?"

Cross gave him a deadpanned look, "Nope. I don't know 'im _that_ well."

"Since when did you have to know a girl—or _guy_—well enough to go a round?" _Why _was I continuing this horrible conversation—in front of a _grave_?—"That's not like you."

This made his lips twitch, but he didn't quite smile, "Eh, I know 'im too well to just pass it off as a 'stranger-fuck' but I know 'im too little to—for that other kind." He almost looked guilty, for half a second—like he wanted to add yet another something or other onto that. But he didn't.

Instead, Marie butted in, "I hate to be disrespectful—but we're _being_ disrespectful. Talking about…such vulgarities in front of a grave." His face showed clear worry, "and shouldn't we be hurrying, in case they _do_ have a class?"

"True," Cross was quick to agree with him, "So what're we standing around here for?"

"Waiting for you to explain something."

He looked confused for a half a second, "Y'mean who the 'little birdy' is?" I nodded my head, he shrugged, "What good'll it do? Y'wouldn't believe me. It's pretty farfetched—_and_ it might take a while to explain. We could miss them entirely."

"I have his address." Marie combated, "and besides I'd like to hear who it is as well—they _must_ know something. They could be important."

"Could be, yeah, but it could just be made up." He tried to change the subject.

"Then we definitely won't believe you." I added my two cents in, "So you might as well _spill_ before your drunken mind gets in the way to thinking it can fumble its way out again."

He gave me a strange look at that, but it was quickly replaced with a sigh and a grin, "You know me too well."

I shrugged and tightened my arms, "Well I've certainly drunk enough around you to know how you act _then_."

Tiedoll gave me a disapproving glance, and Marie shifted, obviously uncomfortable with the shared news—"But that's not the point. Who _is_ it?"

His lips cracked in the faintest form of an actual smile, "A little birdie."

Silence.

Then.

"Who isn't from around here, but," he paused.

Another bout of silence.

"But?" We asked in unison.

Another sigh.

"She's a bit out there."

_She?_

"A drinking partner?" He gave me a look, "Just asking."

"Well she was one, till she let something loose." He covered his face with his hand for a moment, "Made me regret a few things—and _damn_ it hasn't been a full day yet."

I would have asked what that 'regret' was, but I could save it for another time, "So she told you something that had to do with Kanda?"

He shook his head, "With Allen."

Again he said his name, "What about Allen? Is _he_ okay?"

He shrugged, "He's at school now—haven't talked t'im since last night." I would've asked why but he answered it before I could, "Out Drinking."

"Horrible." Marie shook his head.

"Where was Allen then? At home?" Tiedoll tagged on, sniffling lightly this time.

"At his girlfriends uncles place."

'_Why does this matter?' _

But, "he has a girlfriend now?" Marie's lips twisted, faintly, "Who?"

"Road." He said the name dully, "Road Kamelot."

Road.

Road Kamelot.

'_Wait a second.' _

Tiedoll dropped the damn handkerchief on the ground, "_What_?"

The smile on Marie's lips was gone, "You don't mean—"

"A Noah. Yes." He answered it fast enough, "He's been over there since last night—though he's at school now, like I said." He flipped some hair over his shoulder, eyeing us each, "An' why the hell does _that_ matter? Cuz—Lavi and Kanda were there too."

Another moment of silence.

Then, a mutter, "All because that damn woman said someone'd show up—and all because I damn went drinking again."

Was he actually feeling remorse? It was a novel thought.

Then, shakily, Tiedoll spoke up, "This…isn't good. I'm—I'm worried about Kanda, yes, but now _Allen_—is involved?" he thought his words over before asking, hesitantly, again, "But why was—why was Kanda over there with him? With Lavi?"

At first he only answered us with a shrug. Then he started to elaborate with a careless, "I dunno." Then it turned, slowly into a, "I could guess if y'want."

We couldn't afford to guess at something dangerous—but he was good at it, so—

"Fine."

His lips twitched again, "I said that Rabbit was a woodpecker right?" hesitantly I nodded my head, the other two following suit, "Well—what if the tree he's peckin' actually has somethin' t'do with the Noahs?"

"But isn't Road Allen's age?" Marie questioned, "Why would he have any connection with her?"

"Not her," he shook his head, "but—you do know who her Uncle is, right?"

"Tyki…Tyki Mikk, right?"

He nodded his head in affirmation, bangs falling into his eyes for about the fifth time, which he hastily brushed aside, "Exactly—and he's how old?"

"Around…Kanda's age? A little older?" Tiedoll guessed, "It's hard to tell with a Noah."

"I'd guess around there myself." Cross complied, "So what does _that_ tell you?"

"Lavi was there talking to Tyki?"

Now I was getting a bit annoyed, "That doesn't answer _why _though." I slowly uncrossed my arms from my chest.

He simply shrugged, "You told me to guess, an' I'm guessin'. Never said I was _right_—"

'_**But there's no guarantee that he's wrong.' **_

I pushed the memory roughly aside. No thinking about that. Not now.

I let out a sigh instead, "True enough, but," I glanced up at the hazy sky—covered in clouds that just _looked_ like they wanted to release their weight—the rain that was making them so dark.

_'I wish I could rain sometimes.' _It might make things easier—to just get rid of the weight—to just…the closest thing we could do—as humans—was _cry_—and that only did so much—_'Not to mention it gives you a headache'—_

"Cloud?" Tiedoll was next to me—I nearly jumped, but I composed myself in time, he didn't seem to notice, "You were…saying? But _what_?"

Oh. Right.

"Right now we should find Kanda and Lavi." I managed to force out, "since we actually _know_ where they are—" Cross opened his mouth to comment, but I continued on before he could get a word in, "—and won't be interrupting anything _important_."

Whatever he had been about to say, he changed it, "True, so—" he looked at me, then at Tiedoll, then at Marie before looking straight ahead, somewhere past me, "shall we?"

For a moment none of us moved.

Then, almost all at once, we moved—in synch—first Marie took a step forward, then Tiedoll, then Cross got up—and I turned as well.

"We wouldn't want anythin' bad t' happen to 'em cuz we're late, now would we?" I barely heard it, Marie obviously heard it, and the sniffling man didn't catch it at all—

"What's that supposed to mean?"

All he did was grin, and shrug, and say in that lazy way of his that made it seem like he knew way too much—which in this case, he really did—"Who knows?"

_'Who really _does_ know?' _I glanced up at the thick clouds again, heavy with kept in rain.

'_I really wouldn't mind being a cloud this time.' _I watched as the three men got ahead of me, each walking at their own pace, _'but of course, that ain't gonna happen. Ever.' _

----------------------------------------------------

**(Kanda's POV) **

"But it's _cute_!"

"No."

"Please?"

"_No_."

"But Yuu—"

"Do. not. _call. _me. by. that. name."

He didn't even flinch, he just continued with his sentence, "I'm sure it'll get us—err, _you_—a ton of points!"

"_Not_ when it's something like _that_." It was stupid, and pointless, and I knew that—and he probably did too—"It's just a damn photo, I'll take a picture of whatever the hell I _want_."

He almost pouted, "It has t'have _some_ artistic value! 'sides—she seems like the kind to be _really_ strict."

"So you think she'd appreciate something like that?" He hesitated before giving a firm nod of his head.

I didn't believe it, "Che—right—then why don't _you _turn in something like that and see what she says?"

I half expected him to actually agree with me—and—

"Why would _I_ take a picture of myself? Weren't ya listen' on the first day of class?" Apparently _I_ hadn't been, and he had, "She said we'd get extra points for human"—nice word choice—"shots! Sure you'd get most of the points—for bein' the actual _model_—but I've already got a piece I can turn in, so—"

"No."

It didn't even make _sense_. If _he_ was the one taking the shot, then _he'd_ be the one to get the points—

My train of thought was cut off, rather abruptly, with a loud sigh, "Jeez you don't know when t'give in, do ya? Well," he glanced at his watch, "We've got roughly two hours to kill before we go to class—whaddya wanna do? Or—take a picture of? It's not exactly the best day to be takin' photos," he glanced around to prove his point, "after all that rain—so y'wanna go inside somewhere and take a few still-life shots?"

"We're in the middle of a park." I answered back, "Can't I take a picture of a damn _tree_?"

His eyes narrowed, briefly, "If y'wanna get a horrible grade on it, yeah. Y'have to go for lighting—and other stuff, not _just_ the object, Yuu." He let out another sigh, "I'd think you'd _want_ to get a good grade on something—even if it has next to nothing to do with your field."

"You made me take it." That was a bad excuse but it was the only thing I could think of.

"True," he rubbed the back of his head, "But if y'hated it enough y'wouldn't've even said _yes_—err, _fine_—to it." His eyes searched mine, "besides its useful right?"

I didn't say anything.

"for when you're bored."

Well…it _could_ be.

He grinned, "See? See?"

_See what?_

He laughed a second later, "But yeah—let's go somewhere less…wet for a while."

"And that would _be_?"

"I dunno," for a split second I saw something flash across his face, I couldn't read it—not exactly, but it was definitely not an emotion I wanted to see—not on _his_ face. "Just—somewhere, you choose." For a moment he let the feeling edge into his voice, anxious but for probably very bad reasons.

Then I had the habit of actually looking at what he was staring at.

And there, sitting on a park bench, not too far away from where we were standing was…a kid—I couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl—looking at their feet like they had just done something wrong.

What was worse, is that I could've _sworn_ I recognized them from somewhere.

"Really we should probably—" Lavi took a step forward just as the kid started to look up, "Kanda?"

He was calling me by my last name. That _had_ to mean something.

Then, from across the park, another sound—this time more familiar, "Kanda!" But I couldn't look away from the kid—for whatever damn reason—they were too familiar.

Now the kid was looking at me. Mimicking eyes, same face—but hair, cropped short, almost nonexistent beneath the green hat they wore—

'_It can't be.' _Why was that always the first damn thought to come to mind?

And the word was out of my mouth before I could stop it—

"Rei?"

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**Again I wrote the last half of the chapter first –laughs- but I had a better idea of what I wanted for it than I did for the beginning (so I suppose it's a good thing). Though since it's like that, the second half of the first half might sound really jumbled, so I don't blame anyone if they get confused on it. Also--yes this chapter's very short compared to most, and it's like that for a reason. Don't wanna throw too much in at once, especially now.**

**Oh, and, a heads up: Next chapter will take place roughly two days after this. And it will pick up where the Bookman's POV left off (except it'll be in Polar/The OC's POV instead).**

**As always, have questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review! I'd love to hear from you! **

**Till the next chapter**

**-Harmony283**


	20. Connection pt 3

**Yes, a painfully early update, I _know_. But I had this done (or half of it anyway) before I even finished the last chapter, so it kinda makes sense it'd be out early (also was planning on updating it TOMORROW--but then, we're supposed to have really bad weather, so it wouldn't've been a guarentee). Just to get things straight (from the get-go) it's roughly Thursday now (in our timeline)—more likely Thursday afternoon (for the beginning), , and we pick up at an airport where Polar and Bookman are waiting around for someone. **

**Note: Another OC (one that's been mentioned before) appears in this chapter. I didn't expect her to come in so early (in fact I had planned that Lavi met her first and **_**then**_** she met up with Bookman and Polar) but that's just the way things worked out, so I'm just…going with it. **

**Note 2: It's still way too early to actually be saying this BUT because of a certain dream (and because of the fact I've written the last—what? Three?—chapters painstakingly late at night when I SHOULD be sleeping…or studying for a pop quiz in French) I think I might have a sorta-kinda clear way of how I'll end this fic. Might affect the length (if I decide to do it), but if I **_**do**_** go with it, a sequel is in order. Again TOO EARLY to say yet, but…just decided to put this here. **

**Anon. Reviews:**

**Anonymous: **I'm glad you think so, and thanks for pointing that out (or else I probably wouldn't have seen it--it's the only bad thing about typing up something when you're half-asleep, you skip things XD). It should be changed now (unless FF is still having issues, like it apparently was when I tried to change it last night) so it's all good! As always, thanks so much for the review and I'm hoping you like this super early update (considering I was done with this chapter basically when I uploaded the previous one)

**Shiki105: **Yup, yet another one that you'll only see vaguely and hear mentioned (maybe) a ton. Well it depends on how you look at it, because technically there are millions of OC's in every given AU (because hey--the canon character's can't run the world themselves), but the author(ess) only chooses to bring certain ones out. So if you look at it like that--there are actually painfully few OC's in this. (also, if you've noticed, I hardly put more than one in a given chapter--the most there will actually BE in a chapter, will probably be in the next one, but it's for explanation purposes, and most don't even talk so it SHOULD be fine). But anyways--thanks so much for the review! And I hope you like this super fast update!

-------(Polar's POV)-------

I inhaled loudly, then shivered, "So we're here." I looked over, and the old Panda just shrugged, lighting a cigarette before chucking the now empty box into the nearest trash can, "—and the first place I'll visit is a gas station?"

He quirked an eyebrow, "Contrary to popular belief I am _not_ addicted." He meant the cigarette—he _knew_ I had been talking about the cigarette.

"Of course you aren't. But we'll be picking up some more, won't we?"

He thought that over, then shrugged again, "Possibly. In fact—that might not be such a bad idea."

"So the first place I'll visit is a gas station."

"Or the men's bathroom, if you so choose." He exhaled, and the smoke curled—I felt like I might puke.

"Actually—that might not be such a bad idea." I coughed lightly into my hand; adjust my scarf before turning towards the arrow-sign—left bathroom, right exit, straight ahead the food court, behind us, the—I quickly turned to my left and there, oh so obviously, was the men's bathroom.

'_Note to self: Be more observant. It is my job after all.' _

I entered the bathroom, and immediately headed towards the sink. I didn't need to _use_ the restroom—just needed to get away from the smoke. It was a horrible smell—_'I hope Lavi doesn't smell like that'_—though I would think he'd be more careful—_'He said he didn't like the smell. Hopefully that hasn't changed.' _

I ran my hands under the cool water, muttering, "Though I don't know why it wouldn't." under my breath. Thankfully, no one was near enough to me to even hear that much—not that they'd know what I was talking about anyway—but I didn't appreciate the stare from the guy who just came out of the third—recently painted in a weird chrome blue paint that I knew would chip off if some little kid got bored enough—stall.

He probably thought I was—

No.

I shot him a look and turned the faucet off. He seemed to realize what he had been mistaken on, and quickly hurried to the furthest sink from me. Meanwhile I grabbed more paper towels than I probably needed, and dried my hands—soon after, making a b-line for the door.

'_Note to self: I hate public restrooms.' _

For all the obvious reasons. Of course.

They were really quite useful, in the greater scheme of things, but really—all things awkward happened in public restrooms—or resulted in horrible attempts to remake 3rd grade humour via 'potty mouth' jokes and jovial's.

"You took long enough." I jumped and would've staggered back into the bathroom, but I caught myself at the last minute.

Because there—lo and behold was—

"Livvy?"

She removed her shades—_'Of course she'd wear them indoors'_—and grinned happily, "Nice to see you too, but really—the Old Panda said y'went in a while ago—what?—are you constipated?"

I grimaced, "No."

"No? Then—diarrhea?"

'_Why is she so damn happy about it?' _It was a rhetorical thought, mostly on the basis of I already _knew_ how to answer it, "Not that."

"You had to wee?"

_Note to self: NEVER run into Livvy upon exit of a bathroom. _

I shot her a look, "_No_. Did it ever occur to you that he lied?"

She blinked, then, answering just as bluntly—_'Because she'd never lose like that'_—"I know. But it's fun."

I sighed and pushed past her, "Everything's fun with you, isn't it?" I didn't turn around to see her grin, but I knew it was there, plastered over her tanned skin—flashing in her olive eyes—and swaying in time with her hips—

"Stop staring at me." She sounded almost creeped out.

"But I'm not," I denied, "I don't have eyes in the back of my head."

"No but you've certainly got my image ingrained in your mind."

_Of course she'd say something like that._

"At no fault of my own," I pinged back.

"Oh I'm sure it's at least a _tiny_ bit your fault." She ponged.

'_Where is that old panda?' _I wondered faintly, "But then you probably caused it all to begin with." A ping.

"But then what made _me_ the guilty one?" Pong.

"Yourself?" Ping

"That doesn't make any sense." Pong

"Well neither does arguing over something that's apparently in my head—" Ping

"It's got merit." Pong

"—not when you don't know if I'm thinking about it or _not_." I was sure I won this time, but she just had to put another two cents in—

"You wouldn't be denying this much if you _weren't_ thinking of me."

And now the ping-pong ball was off the table, bouncing off the walls and floors.

One of us was going to have to catch it, but really I didn't feel like moving, "Whatever—now where's the Old Panda?"

"How should I know?" She still sounded peeved, just a bit, and her shades were probably back on now, "I ran into him near one of the benches by the food court."

_'He already got that far?' _

"But knowing him," she continued on, quickening her pace until she was right up next to me, "he's probably off playing hide and seek, which is really creepy for an old man to do but," she looped one arm through my own, "he gets his weird kicks every now and then, doesn't he?"

I squeezed her arm a bit before letting out a laugh, "he certainly does." Then, lower, "at others expenses."

We both let out a unison sigh—followed by a unison thought—most likely, maybe, if not phrased a bit differently—_'But we have to get going.' _

"The Rat doesn't wait." She hissed that out in her alias's signature way, eyes narrowing behind tinted glasses, "Sure he might not have anything to do with it, but,"

I had the distinct feeling people were looking at us—a passing glance here, a passing glance there, she didn't seem to notice—or mind, or both—and continued rambling, "he really should be more considerate of others. Which reminds me," she glanced up at me, "Where'll you be staying?"

"Staying?"

She nodded her head, "Yup—tonight, we're staying in town for at least two days." I gave her a look which she responded with, "All the flights were booked—they _couldn't_ fit another person on. Besides, I was oh so kindly asked—when I arrived here this morning, at breakfast, no less—to help with some questioning going on tomorrow." She smiled wistfully, "Apparently in a small city like this, there aren't that many difficult murders."

"Ah,"

She glanced at me, then out at the crowd again, "Yes _ah_."

"What's the case this time?" I wondered, tagging on, "And did you drag me into it?"

"Lucky for you, no. Not unless I request of course." A grin tugged at her lips, her arms tightening around my own, "As for the case—a traffic accident—" she paused briefly to let that sink in, but not long enough to where I could _say_ anything on it, "But it might not _be_ an accident." She was saying it like she was clarifying a question I hadn't asked, "They have 'reason to believe' that the whole thing was set up by one of the drivers involved."

"And?" I looked down at her, she grinned back up, "It's just a matter of questioning them right? Shouldn't that take just a few hours?" We both knew it was her specialty—getting information in a—quote—'friendly'—way. It never took long for people to cave—even when it came to admitting murder.

"True it should, but everyone involved either has a job or school that they can't exactly miss without getting their heads bitten off."

"It's a justified excuse."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, "I know it is—that's what I said too, but," she paused again, this time allowing her eyes to cast downward, making _me_ lead her, quite literally, through the throng of people.

"But?" I managed to whisper out once the crowd thinned a little—which was nearly impossible in a pact airport, but it did happen upon occasion.

"It's _who_'s involved that makes it so complicated. Obviously money's an issue too."

"They gave you names?"

She quickly shook her head, "No, but it's a feeling I got—when a huge amount of money's involved, the Police tend to get a bit panicky. It's a flaw, one that needs to be fixed, but probably isn't going to be anytime soon." She let out a sigh, raising her head enough, "I also have reason to believe that helping out will help _us_ out."

"If not just to get records."

She smiled, again, in that faint sort of way, "Exactly." The smile switched to slightly happier and she suddenly detached her arm, saying, "I see him!"

and sure enough, there he was, leaning against the railing, overlooking where the 'food court' displayed all its gaudy 'this is this' and 'that is that' and 'this is…something, but we're selling it for cheap so you'd better _not_ ask'—all in the traditional circular pattern.

He wasn't smoking anymore either. Apparently this close to food, it wasn't allowed—_'What I love about America.'—_though I knew other places had similar rules, at least here it was more looked down on—_'Along with drinking, which is annoying, drinking's fun and—'_

Livvy nearly skipped ahead of me, and I was almost silently glad she did—but almost equally as sorry she _did_—_'She says she doesn't want her mental image in my head to stare at, and yet she flaunts it so openly'_

Big chest, nice hips, flat stomach, healthy and active, tanned skin—not _black_, though she was, by half—short hair that framed her face nicely—and olive eyes which she always hated, but somehow lived with. All this compacted into a short tightfitting green dress, with leggings. A childish look that actually suited her.

And people were staring.

'_We make an odd pair.' _

And with the vibrant redhead inbetween, _'an odd trio.' _

The old panda looked up almost immediately when his name had been called out. I didn't know whether he was trying to frown, or smile, or maybe it was a mix of the two—but he did _that _and muttered something under his breath.

Once I reached them, however, what had been muttered had been long forgotten with words replacing it like, "Did you lie?"

A smile—or…something—"Why would I lie?"

"he doesn't _look_ constipated."

I was nearly right up behind her at this point, "I'm right _behind_ you." She didn't jump but she did look back at me.

"See? See?" she pointed to me, "He's _not_. You jerk—lying's uncouth."

"Fine then," another twitch of his lips in a smile-frown, "I'm a liar, so be it."

"Yes you—" she paused, "Wait," another pause, "well you _are_ but—you've lied too much to make that statement count."

He shrugged, "Then it's something I must live with." Like it was the direst thing in the world—

But then he was telling the truth then too.

It _was_ the direst thing in the world. It was our _job_ for Christ's sake—and I was an atheist. Conceptual Heaven for the win—but no Hell, please. _That_ I could live without.

"Well if you couldn't then you'd quit." She was taking him literally on the meaning I hadn't spoken, "Probably go off and live somewhere nice and quiet—oh wait," she cocked her head slightly to the side, "You've been trying to do that for the past two years, right?"

She got brownie points for making people nervous—she got _triple_ points for making _him_ nervous. But of course he wouldn't show it. He was too high up for that, "True."

"You also went to see your family." She added on, "Finally. But,"

"But?"

"You dragged Lavi into it." She wouldn't forgive him so easily for that, I knew, "You took him away when you should've just given him _back_. Y'know it's not fair that way."

He met her gaze with a steady one of his own, "True, but, I suppose testing him now seems a bit too harsh."

"That isn't testing."

'_But she doesn't know that.' _I stayed silent, though.

"Oh it is," his eyes narrowed marginally, I would've said he was angry—but then, that emotion wasn't allowed, "quite cruel isn't it? But I do believe we're wasting too many words. Don't you two have places to be?"

"I'm staying here for three days."—_'Wasn't it only two?'—_"To help out with something here. Then we're leaving." She looked back at me, then at the Old Panda, "Got that?"

"Crystal." He answered plaintively, "But where will you stay?"

"Hotel."

"Just the two of you?" He raised an eyebrow, calmly, at this.

"No duh," she barked out a happy laugh, "I've already got a nice one booked. It's downtown a bit, four star—we're on the top floor." She shot me a glance and focused her next words on me, "You'll have to help me find my where there—you _know_ how I am with road maps."

"I could always show you." Why the Panda thought it was amusing to offer his help now, I didn't know but he did, "I'm not very busy at the moment."

"So you're going to leave the poor Rabbit to starve?"

That's where I butted in, "Now that's something you should've told her."

"Ah yes, I probably should have," he murmured in agreement, "quite honestly I don't doubt he's being fed and taken care of…quite well, actually."

Now it was Livvy's turn to raise the inquisitive eyebrow, "And by that you mean?"

"He has a roommate now." The words fell out of my mouth before I could snap up my jaw and lock it.

"What?"

I glanced over at the Panda and he just shrugged, "Yes—more precise, he moved in with someone."

Both eyebrows raised now, "Who?"

"You'd know them?" I questioned, and she shook his head, "I don't know 'em either—other than when he mentioned him over Summer break—_when they visited_." I shot the old bookman a look which he didn't return, "not sure if you even remember that much."

"I've got my priorities," she excused herself, eyebrows still raised, "So tell me—the name?"

"Some guy named Yuu Kanda. Kanda Yuu—Japanese, long hair, dark eyes, pale skin, the works."

Now she seemed _really_ amused, "And they?"

The panda coughed, "Not here."

Her amusement increased tenfold, "Yes or no?"

"Not here." He rasped out.

But I already had the answer in my head, "No but, maybe." He sent me a deadly glare and I sent one back, "What? She asked."

"She asks many things that _don't _need to be answered right away."

"And Livvy would greatly appreciate not being talked to in third person." She piped, too happily, in, "Now why don't we get something to eat first? I don't know about you—but I'm _famished_!"

She grabbed my arm again, in that vice grip of hers, and began to drag me along towards the food court—the Old panda keeping up in perfect sync of us.

He noticed I was staring not even a second after I flitted my eyes away, "eating sounds good," I couldn't help but notice his slightly labored breathing, "we can talk then."

'_Talk? Talk about what? Lavi?' _We had already done that on the plane, _'Then—the Rat.' _

He gave me a look, and I knew my final choice had been true. _'But the Old Panda isn't even getting involved—' _

No, we'd probably need all the help we could get—especially now.

-------(Lavi's POV)-------

Concern was there as she glanced at me, then at Kanda, then at Allen—who was also uncomfortable, but not for the same reasons—finally, Kanda stood up, "I'm leaving."

"But," she shot up out of her seat, "Kanda—"

He shot her a glare, and she nearly fell.

A second later and the door slammed, and, rather mysteriously, Komui popped his head in, "Is everything okay?"

I couldn't get my voice to work enough to say that it was fine.

But Lenalee could, at least, a little bit, "I think Kanda might be—a little, he—" she exhaled, and I could see her legs shaking.

Komui got it though, and maybe that was enough right now.

Because I knew I sure as hell screwed that up, and over, repeatedly.

But then—I'd been doing that a lot lately.

"He couldn't have gotten far." Komui spoke again, "I'll see if I can catch him—give him a ride to his place."

She almost collapsed at this point, "Yeah," and she actually _did _when the front door slammed twice.

Usually Allen was the one to get up and go to her side, but he didn't budge. I couldn't find it in me either—and _hell_ it felt awful.

Especially when, ever so softly, she whispered, "He's scaring me." Then she looked back at me, over her shoulder, eyes misty, "You are too. You _all_ are."

Then Allen got up the nerve to ask, "What happened?"

And I couldn't—couldn't get it in me to answer. Not yet, anyway.

-------(Komui's POV -roughly 10PM at night-)-------

Oh this was _not_ good. Not good at all. In fact, it was bad—worse—_worse_—poor Doll, she was shaking and I knew she was. I knew it was ten times worse for her—just for the fact she could _feel_—and no one in that room knew it.

Well, Lavi possibly did.

But Allen didn't—no, he made things worse now. And now _Kanda_—Yuu—now _Yuu_—

'_Froi was right,' _I let out a silent sigh before taking a step forward, away from my front door. I could hear footsteps echoing on the stairwell—he was still close by. He wouldn't get far, _'He tries to act it—but he fails.' _

I heard his footsteps stop when I reached the edge of the stairs. I could see him—hair slightly askew—_he hadn't slept_, Lavi had said he hadn't, and Froi had consented an increased amount of worry over it—under the final set, he was shivering too.

'_**He met someone.' **_Was all they had said—Froi looking half-guilty, Cloud pensive, same as Marie's, and Cross in all his boredome—_**'He was fine right after it, like he didn't—Lavi took him to class. Said he was fine then too, but he didn't eat. I don't think he's eaten breakfast since then, either. But he did go to his classes—and then—' **_

And then of course the accident had come back to haunt them.

'_**Could you at least watch them, for tonight?' **_and I had—a sleepover had ensued, an awkward one, filled with movie watching—though I knew no one had _watched_ it—and pensive—

He didn't talk much. And it certainly didn't help. And all through the movie Lavi hadn't taken his eyes off Yuu—not even once. _'He knows, doesn't he? Maybe I should ask.' _

It was petty to think about—asking another about another's feelings, no matter what they could be. "Kanda?" I saw his shoulders tense, and he almost took a step forward, but halted the movement, "Would you like me to take you home?"

For a moment he didn't respond—even though I knew, I _knew_ he had to of heard me. Then, curtly, I received a nod—a nod I couldn't help smiling at. "Good, you," I stopped the sentence and made my way, quickly, down the flight of stairs, "You look like you need it." I finished, standing next to him now.

I placed a comforting hand nearly a breath away from his shoulder, but it was enough to make him move, "my car's this way." In the wrong direction, yes but still—I shot him a glance, he didn't seem to care at the embarrassment.

"Don't worry," I continued to talk, since apparently he wasn't going to, "I'll explain it to the others. They'll understand—I'm sure they will."

We reached the parking lot a few seconds later—through the huge double doors made of glass—glass that had been shattered about ten times, and counting. I found my car easily enough—it stuck out at night, compared to the others—it _was_ bright yellow—inconspiciously though.

I thought I saw his lips twitch, "Why the fuck did you choose yellow?" it was soft but it was a better means of communication than nothing—

I returned it with a happy smile, "Because it's so inconspicuous."

He gave me an odd look as I held the passenger side door open for him, but didn't question it, instead, he slipped in smoothly, and began buckling his seatbelt—_'He wants to get out'—_I tried not to think about that as I made my way to the other side, slipping in—buckling my seatbelt—then starting the engine.

Then—just like that—in one fleeting movement—we were out on the road, driving—And it was dead silent. Something I _didn't _enjoy, thus, loudly, I exclaimed, "Radio time?"

He blinked, taken aback, but the emotion was quickly swept away, as I reached forward and turned the radio on—pressing random buttons till I found the one radio station I knew wouldn't be playing rap music this late at night.

The 80's station.

106.9

It was in the middle of a car commercial, though.

And as always, I exclaimed, "They definitely talk fast at the end don't they? Haven't you always wondered how they talk that fast? They must have training, definitely—I wonder how much trouble they'd get in if we slowed it down to an understandable level? After all—fast means 'don't listen' and—"

I was rambling.

He wasn't stopping me.

I needed the sound.

He wasn't stopping it.

'_I'm not the one who needs to be comforting him.' _

But he'd take it anyway.

'_The one he wants to comfort him is back at—'_

It was Lavi, I knew it was.

I could see it on his face—even paler in the moonlight filtering in through the window. He was listening intently on the song—not even aware—_**'Could you at least watch them?' **_

I was doing just that.

But Froi was wrong—he always was—and overly emotional—I let out a chuckle, which Kanda questioning looked at, but didn't ask—but then _I_ was accused of having a _sister complex—_of course I was emotional.

What happened hurt Lenalee. My Doll. I couldn't let that happen. They _needed_ to cheer up—no, they _needed_ to cheer up and _mean_ it.

---(roughly 15 minutes later)---

'_He'll be fine for fifteen minutes, I just hope I can drag Lavi out—" _

Well he certainly wasn't hard to find—leaning against the large glass doors, with his traditional grin plastered on his face. I hurried up to him, opening my mouth to ask what he was doing here—but he told without provoking, "I got kicked out."

Now my question was, "Why?"

He scratched the back of his head, grin faltering slightly, "I think I made…Lenalee a bit upset. Y'might wanna talk to her—but take me home first."

"That's what I was planning on doing anyway." But—"what did you say?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I didn't say anythin', an' she took it the wrong way." Now his grin was more sheepish and worried—nothing in it said 'I'm sorry'—as he walked past me, towards my car, "Yellow?" I heard him mumble, "Y'got a paint job again? It suits you." He looked back up at me when I didn't budge, questioning, "Komui?"

"Ah, yes, yes," I found myself moving to the driver's side, and soon I was sitting in a familiar seat, donning a similar seatbelt, and turning the radio on—just like I had with Kanda. But it only lasted a couple of seconds, really—not like with Kanda at all.

Yuu wouldn't be inclined to talk, so the sound was needed.

Lavi, on the other hand, preferred talking in silence, than over radio.

He immediately switch the volume on _low_—I could barely hear it now—and asked, almost as softly, "How's Yuu?"

_'So he's actually bringing it up?' _I was a bit surprised but, "He didn't say much." I glanced at the redhead as we left the parking lot, but he refused to look at me—instead, he was looking out the window—memorizing the scenery.

For a moment I didn't think he'd answer me, but, slowly, he did, "He never says much." He was agreeing with me, "How'd he act? Like—sleepy or?" he glanced up at me.

"Very," I answered back, "I heard he hasn't been eating breakfast since Tuesday—it's only two days, yes, but considering you don't eat lunch until late…" I trailed off, hoping he'd prove some insight.

They weren't even _relatives_ of mine—but they were important to my Doll's world—of course I'd worry over their health—_'Not to mention Froi will never let me hear the end of it—if something happened.' _

"True—he'll live though, he doesn't eat much anyway." I saw his fist clench, but said nothing, "Did he act weird…when you brought 'im up to our apartment, or?"

"He walked in by himself." Maybe that hadn't been such a good idea, now that I looked back on it, "If anything I'd assume he's asleep."

Worry flashed across his face, "Yeah, hopefully." He was facing me fully now, "Sleeping—yeah, I can see him doing that." He smiled then, and it hurt that I couldn't tell the difference—when he's happy, or sad, he _smiles_—not cries—_smiles_.

"But what started this?" I knew I had to break the shell sooner or later—and we were almost to their apartment complex—it was closer now, than it had been, considering they finally finished repaving the road that led there just this past summer—and I knew he wouldn't want to answer it once he was out of the car.

"What'd Tiedoll tell you?"

'_So he knows I at least got something from him.' _

I pressed on the break as we came to the only red light, exhaling, "Just that someone showed up that he hadn't been expecting."

The redhead was facing forward again, watching the red light, "Well yeah—did he say _who_?"

"He didn't mention any names, but," I really didn't want to guess, "I'd assume it was—"

"Rei." I blinked—_'He actually told me?'_—"He called the kid Rei. Or—not kid, but the kid…_looked _like a kid." He looked like he was having trouble explaining it.

'_Rei, Rei? Have I heard that name before?' _it was drawing a blank—or now, it was, "I don't think I've heard of them before…?"

He still kept his eyes forward, never blinking, as the light turned forward, "Eh, doesn't surprise me. I've only heard it once or twice—when I was younger. He doesn't like t'dwell on it."

"But who _is_ Rei?"

He shot me a quick glance—one that told me, well enough, that he _knew_—"I'm not the one y'should be getting that from." He closed his one good eye for a moment, "Why don't y'come up with me? To the apartment? It's the first time you've been there in a while—right?"

I nodded my head ever so slightly, focusing on the road as I came to the entrance of the parking lot, "I'm so glad you two moved in together, though. It worked out perfectly."

That made him laugh, "Yeah, except when we argue."

I smiled back, "Define 'argue'."

"Like…" he halted his sentence, waiting until I parked, before continuing, "Like…Allen and Kanda fight—except not."

"Except not?" He somehow managed to get his seatbelt off first, _and_ get out of the car before I did, "Explain." I also, somehow, managed to keep the smile on my face.

His lips were twitching, and despite the situation I knew he wanted to laugh again, "You tell me what it looks like. Somethin' tells me it'll get violent." He eyed the apartment complex for a moment, before moving away from the car, taking a few steps, until he was up on the sidewalk.

"I'm sure it won't go that badly."

"You're an optimist."

"And you aren't?"

He let out a chuckle, "Kanda definitely isn't." then he sped up—reaching the door before I did—

'_He's nervous.' _

My smile became just a little more forced, "True, but if Yuu was nice then what?" That actually made him stop—long enough to let me slip in front of him.

"If…he was _nice_?" he didn't sound like he altogether believed me.

"Yup, if he was _nice_. Think about it," my smile became less forced at the thoughtful expression, "Would you like him as much?"

"Prob'ly not." He answered in less than a second of the end of my question—and his smile became, at least slightly, more natural, "But he still might kill me—so be my body guard."

"Eh?!" I mocked a gasp, "You—you can't _do_ that!"

"Yeah I can." He laughed back, "And I'm fully ready t'drag you in along with me." We had reached the door by now—to the lobby—and he held it open, very gentlemanly like, "Unless of course," he added on at the last minute, "you'll go yourself. _Then_ we won't have any problems."

Then his smile turned into more of a leer, a domineering one that literally dripped with an 'or else'—one I _didn't_ want to find out, really. I didn't.

I let him lead the way, and soon we found ourselves crammed into an elevator—in dead silence.

Well—except for the 'elevator music—which—wait—

'_It's in French?' _

The lead vocalist stopped, and in came a females voice, singing over and over again, "When I was a child, I was a Jedi—"

'_A French song about Jedi's.' _

I let out a laugh, "Ooh I _love_ this song!"

Lavi gave me an odd look, which quickly turned to a grin, "Ah that? The owner likes foreign music, I could get the song if you want."

It was idle talk to pass the time until we reached the floor we wanted, but I took him up on the offer regardless, "Why not? Sounds interesting."

"Komui, the leader in all things weird." He didn't sound angry, sarcastic, or anything—it was all in good fun. Just like the Lavi I knew, "I'll ask the owner when things get cleared up."

"With Kanda?"

He gave a short nod, "Yeah—him and Tiedoll."

"Ah." And really—that was all I _could_ say, "You promised you'd speak with them?"

He gave a sheepish grin at that, "Sorta—I mean, that Rei girl just took off, and Kanda obviously wasn't—so I was _worried_ so I asked him to put it off till a Friday—"

"But then they called and asked you to meet at the station."

A silent nod returned my reply, eyes glaring at the metal doors until, rather abruptly, we stopped, "We're here." He mumbled lowly under his breath, taking a few steps and then, rather comically tripping—only to gain his balance a second later, "C'mon, c'mon," he waved me down the hall, "'s the last door." Then, lower—I almost didn't catch it—"Damn I hope Yuu's alright."

"Positive thinking Lavi."

He returned _that_ with a rude comment—one I was probably thankful I didn't hear all of. He fumbled around for a moment—searching for house keys, probably—and for a second he looked like he might panic, but then he somehow managed to fish them out of his back pocket—_'Something he has a habit of doing. If he can't find it, it's in his back pocket.' _

My mouth twitched at this thought, but I managed to correct it by the time the door was fully unlatched.

And it was dark.

"Yuu?" Lavi called out into the darkness, eyes squinting, "Yuu where are ya?" He took two steps in, flipping on a lightswitch—I could only assume, because the florescent bulbs above the kitchen lit up nearly immediately—before taking another step. I didn't see what he saw—not surprisingly, though—he _was_ standing right in front of me—but whatever it was made him rush over to the couch.

There, leaning half on the arm—half asleep, probably, or maybe a bit moreso—was Kanda. Somehow over the course of the last fifteen minutes his shirt had come unbuttoned, and was now bathed in the glow of the lights—illuminating the tattoo, clear across his chest of the third eye**(1)**—but he never once stirred.

Well he did, slightly, lifting his head—he had noticed the sudden light, and, obviously, wanted to know who caused it.

"Yuu—y'can't sleep on the couch." I wasn't as blind as most people thought I was—I saw his muscles tense at the red-heads voice. He even shifted, slightly, farther away from the teen—or at least, I knew that's what he intended. He didn't get the exact results, though, and wound up shifting _closer_—more on the arm and—"You'll fall off." Lavi was _trying_ his best to keep his voice gentle, it was obvious. He had both hands, placed, on each of Kanda's shoulders, and his eyes matched the gentleness.

'_So much for Kanda going to kill him.' _But I still remained there, in the doorway—_just in case_.

I knew Yuu—and anyone who _did_ could attest to the sudden rise in his temper. He was nearly high strung—every moment he was awake, it was obvious. Even in his _sleep_ he wasn't at ease. In fact—far from it—from the last time I had—

'_But that was nearly four years ago.' _I hastily reminded myself, watching as Lavi somehow maneuvered the dark haired teen fully onto the cushions—and not on the arm rest, which would have looked easy—but wasn't. Kanda kept struggling, in his half-dazed way, eyes dimmed with need of sleep—and…and…

"Don't…touch me." The threat was half hearted at best, he tried so hard to keep his eyes open—blinking them almost constantly.

Lavi just chuckled, and kept his hands rested, gently, on his shoulders, "You need to get t'bed, Yuu—you _look_ exhausted."

"Am…not." Another half-hearted response—it looked like he was forcing himself to keep in a yawn.

And again, I couldn't blame him. He probably hadn't had a decent nights sleep in two days—and I _knew_ how much that could put a person on a tizzy.

'_Yet I do it way too often.' _I wanted to laugh at the hypocritical thought, but I didn't want to think of the state I'd be in upon butting in. So I stayed, leaning against the doorframe, as I watched the scene unfold.

Lavi trying to force Kanda up—and Kanda refusing half-heartedly.

Then, Lavi, exasperated, saying, "Fine then—sleep on the couch. But t'make you feel comfortable." He shifted and soon, was on his knees in front of the couch—

'_What?' _

"Why don't I sleep 'ere too? Since we don't have any extra sheets—and you might get cold." That sounded like an excuse—but—_'What is he planning?—_

I got my answer a second later—when, almost too gently, Lavi rested his head on Kanda's lap, whispering, "An' I'll just use you as a pillow—so no moving"

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**(1)-A good friend of mine (in my French class—at school) is very into the whole Sanskrit symbols, and the whole chakra thing. According to her, the symbol Kanda has on his chest is nearly exactly like the Symbol for the "Third Eye" (minus the little…sun marking thing that surrounds it later on in the series), so I'm going with that that's what it is. –hugs- so major thanks to her for telling me this random bit of info! (though, sadly, she hasn't read the series yet—but is planning to) **

**Pwah Komui's POV is dedicated to someone (who really loves his character) and yet I feel like I didn't do him justice—and I definitely didn't make him goofy enough, But then no character ever sounds goofy to themselves, so I suppose it's okay. Nice little semi-fluff scene at the end too (which I had in my head since last chapter –is glad she was able to put it in-) **

**Next chapter everyone's back at the police station for interviewing. After that chapter you probably won't be hearing about many of the OC's again—depending on if I suddenly have a role for them (which I highly doubt at this point).But again, who knows what kind of plot bunny will attack me in my sleep? -thinks- I-I really...don't wanna know the answer to that...  
**

**As always, have questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review!**

**-Harmony283 **


	21. Connection pt 4

**I've officially reached the 20 chapter mark! And yes, I know this is roughly a week late (and of course, the fact that this was ready SUNDAY MORNING, but FF was down didn't help that out-actually knew the site was working because she got a favorite story, plus watch on this fic-), but I'm actually happy I spent so much time on this chapter. Why? Because I got to mull over what to put in it—which means, I got to cut it off a bit early, so, I'm not overstuffing this chapter with explanations (I don't think, anyway). Also, the explanations (or rather, the policestation scenes, mostly) are being pushed back to the next chapter. Why? Because I felt it was needed, and I didn't want this chapter to be super long (because it's already at like, 12/13 pages with what I have now). But regardless of that—I hope this chapter makes things a bit clearer!**

**(And of course, thanks so much for all the reviews!)**

**Anon Reviews:**

**TokyoDarjeeling: **Yup (because that _does_ happen sometimes—but I don't like for it too, because I know some people are slow readers/have other stuff to do during the hectic week). It did, did it? Well then that's a good thing, and I'm glad it brightened your day! (or at least made it a bit less crappy). Again that makes me very happy! Yup, I know it doesn't pay for squat (so I'd, like any sane person, do it as a 'in my free time' sort of thing), but it's definitely something I wanna look into. I'm glad you thought their POV's were suiting (I'm personally very proud of Polar's, and I'm glad I didn't apparently screw up Komui's). –smiles and hugs back- Thanks so much for the review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

**cubwub: **-laughs- you're very welcome! (of course this chapter's late but...) I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! And thanks so much for the review! -hugs-

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**Lavi's POV**

I really didn't want to wake up today. Really—I could've done better with a few extra hours of sleep—two or three, or maybe even four. I didn't have a class till noon anyway. But, of course, on natural reflex—and because the damn _alarm clock_ went off at 8AM in the fucking morning—

Wait.

Normally I couldn't _hear_ Yuu's alarm clock—usually he woke up right before and went to the bathroom, or something—and—my back hurt. Not much but—_'Did I sleep wrong_?' It took me a moment to actually open my eyes, they felt almost like they had been glued shut.

It took me a second afterwards, to realize I wasn't in my bed, and, in fact, was on the _floor_, with Yuu, snuggled up on the couch—_with my jacket--_and a blanket from the closet, that I had grabbed sometime last night—

After Komui drove me home—

After we had walked in, to find him half-dead (well, not really, but sleep was close enough) on the couch.

After I had tried to get him to move—and he didn't, because he was obstinant that way, and he wouldn't be _Yuu_ if he didn't at least complain a little, even _if_ he was bent out of shape—more so than usual and—

"How do you turn this damn thing off?" I heard someone hiss, quietly from Kanda's room before, a second later, and the incessant beeping _stopped_—followed by a, "I hope that didn't wake them up."

'_Well, too late for that.' _I bemusedly thought, sitting up on my elbows, wincing at the stiffness. I glanced over at Kanda, who was still sleeping, peacefully—_my jacket in his arms, like a child's blanket—_on the couch. Usually _he'd_ be the one up—

'_But it's not like he got much sleep the past two days.' _I felt my lips twitch marginally, _'Not that he sleeps peacefully, but at least he sleeps.' _And it was good that he did. We didn't need _two_ sleep-deprived person's in the same apartment. That was just screwed up.

I sat up a bit further—being careful not to bump Yuu's knees, which, despite his best efforts, were still jutting out off the edge of the couch, simply because it was too narrow—and stretched my arms, letting out a near silent yawn and—

"I was hoping I didn't wake you." I recognized the voice in an instant—it was Komui, sounding concerned, "Is…?" he trailed off; glancing at Kanda's sleeping form before sighing, "Oh good, at least _he's_ still asleep." He motioned for me then, to get up slowly. Of course I would've anyway—but I took care to all the same, making my way, quietly over to him afterwards.

My first words were, "You're still here?" He nodded his head—pointing towards the kitchen where I saw a stack of papers neatly kept—right in the corner, along with his briefcase, leaning up against one of the stools, and his jacket.

"I'm guessing she calmed down." I murmured, and I knew he knew who I was talking about—his expression changed almost instantly.

"Apparently she didn't want to talk to me." He whispered just as lowly, sounding hurt, "Allen said she ran into her room shortly after you left—crying. He tried coaxing her out, but after I got back he said she'd probably fallen asleep."

That caught my attention, "Did she?"

He shrugged

"You didn't check? That's not like you." I couldn't help but notice his eyes fall on Kanda's sleeping form.

"I suppose sometimes you have to choose friends over family." He let out a sigh a moment later, "I know when Lenalee won't talk and—don't get me wrong, I _will_ ask her what happened when I get home today, but," his eyes drifted back to me, "I also made a promise to a friend—"

He didn't need to say anymore than that, "To Tiedoll right?" he barely nodded his head, "Yeah, yeah, don't worry, I'll make sure t'talk with him."

"Soon." He added on, "As in—today. Which is why I'm glad you woke up early." I tensed immediately at those words, but his smile—goofy, but somehow _serious_—and _too much like my own—_almost made me relax. Almost. "Don't worry—not _now_, as in, in an hour—you have that," he glanced at Yuu again, "issue to resolve, which, I'm completely against—especially without guardians, you _may_ be adults now, but you're still teenagers."

He had a point there, "But whaddya wanna do about it? Sure Tiedoll's Kanda's guardian—" or at least I assumed that, and from his nod I knew I was right—"But gramps is up in the air right now, probably." I gazed up at the ceiling, adding, silently, _'Unless he just got here, which wouldn't surprise me.' _He had excellent social skills—when he chose to have them. Which was nearly never, he left that up to _me_ now—as 'training', or some shit—_not that I mind_—but—

"You do have a point there," he agreed, "but…I suppose it does no good thinking about it now. It's not like you _can't_ go—that would lead to more trouble. So why don't we get you something to eat?"

"You cook?"

He blinked, then laughed, not too loudly, but loud enough to make Kanda shift, "No, no, heavens no—you've heard Lenalee's horror stories of me in the kitchen, right?"

I grimaced at the thought, "Lenalee said y'couldn't cook."

He nearly face faulted at that, but ended it with a cough, "I can cook…_some_." He looked over at Kanda again, then at me, "Which one of you usually cooks?" a second later and his expression turned mock-horrified, "Or are you like all those _other_ college kids, eating off of frozen foods and Ramen noodles?"

Now I felt like laughing, "No—no—well, sometimes, but," now my eyes drifted towards the kitchen, "Yuu doesn't like frozen foods that much—he likes…y'know…instant noodles, stuff like that—which yes, we have a stock of ramen in one of the cabinets." His face just got ten times more dramatic at that, "But he does most of th'cooking—I mean, I cook _sometimes_—but only what I'm good at. And I do the grocery shopping." He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at that, "I eat more than he does." I quickly explained.

"And you like what he cooks?" He wondered after thinking that over for a moment.

I shrugged my shoulders sleepily, "As long as it doesn't have wasabi in it, I'm good."

This earned me another raised eyebrow, followed by a low chuckle, "I'd ask why, but I suppose it's the taste."

Since he assumed right I just shrugged again, asking, "But anyway—when'd you get here? Or did you have all that crap," again I looked over at the stack of paper, "in the back of your car?"

"I had some." He admitted, sheepishly, "But I did have to go back home—to get some documents, then of course, Reever went by and dropped some more off before I could leave again—" he made an annoying expression, "—I swear they're _trying_ to kill me with the amount of work they force on me."

At the slightly raised tone, Kanda shifted, murmuring something unintelligible in his sleep before attempting to turn over—

"He's a much deeper sleeper than I thought." Komui mused, watching as he curled up in an even tighter ball—

'_Cute.' _But I shoved the sleepy thought away, "Yeah—usually he'd wake up with his alarm clock, but he _was_ out of it yesterday."

"You both were." The half-mad scientist said, softly, and I actually wanted to _deny_ that statement—but I knew I couldn't. If Kanda was bugged—bugged about _anything_, which generally _never_ happened—then, even if it's just because we're _roommates_ and nothing else—I would be bugged too. End of story.

But it wasn't 'End of Story' and I _knew_ it.

There wasn't even _supposed_ to be a story—

Wait.

'_I haven't thought like _that_ in a while.' _

I wanted to follow _that_ thought up with something like 'and I won't start now'—but everytime—everytime—

'_Even two years in an' I'm still not—'_

I felt a hand press against my shoulder—and Komui's concerned gaze, "It's really bothering you, isn't it?" I didn't answer—I didn't think he'd _expect_ me to—"Do you…want me to call Tiedoll? I mean," he switched around his words, "Would you rather talk to him _now_ or…_after_ you…?"

"Kanda might wake up."

This seemed to concern him even more, so I added on, "But I guess—it might be better, like you said. He…is sorta like his guardian, right?"—Like my guardian, who got me _into_ this whole mess in the _first_ place--"So it'll be good for him to meet us at the," I trailed off—he knew what I meant, and I could tell he agreed.

"I'm not entirely sure if he's _up_ yet, though," He glanced at Kanda's alarm clock, which he still had in his hands, "I'd assume so, but," he hesitated, before sighing, "Oh nevermind—I'll call. In the meantime, try to get something to eat."

"Even if it's a frozen dinner?"

He gave me a stern look.

I just grinned—and he exhaled, "Just _something_." Then he walked over to the bar and, after fiddling around with the contents of his bag, he extracted his cellphone—a black, simplistic one, with a small keychain attached to it. He flipped it open, dialing a few numbers—before making a shooing motion between me, and the fridge, mouthing the word _eat_ before—before—

I heard a sniffle on the other end of the phone, loud enough to hear even at this distance—_'Doesn't surprise me—he'd pick his phone up immediately.' _

"Froi," Komui started easily, a tired smile in his voice. There was a pause—a muffled something or another that I tried not to listen to, as I made my way over, and past him, into the kitchen—

'_I'll eat first.' _I decided, _'Then I'll change, then I'll wake Yuu up.' _I scratched the back of my head as I reached out to the door of the fridge, gripping the handle, tugging it open, and letting the cool frosty air rush over me—

"Yes I watched them," He was trying to whisper, and to keep his hair away from his face, "---I'm at their place, though." A short pause, then he laughed, humorlessly, "Well you know how it goes, it's just one of those things." He didn't seem to want to elaborate, and for once I was glad he wasn't running his mouth—

'_Yuu's gonna yell at me if I leave the door open.' _I quickly jerked my gaze back to the freezer and it's contents. Spaghetti, Alfredo Pasta, Hot Pockets—_Hot Pockets?_—Penne pasta with pesto—_pasta, pasta—_Toaster Strudel?

I felt my lips twitch, _'Ah, right. I had some left over when—' _I pulled the frost covered box out, checking the expiration date—it was still good, for another three months, _'Frozen food is wonderful.' _

Because it was.

Really.

I set the box down on the counter, closing the freezer door before plugging in the conveniently placed toaster—_'I wonder why he even has one?' _I pushed the thought away though, _'Oh wait, is it mine?' _it was funny—I couldn't even remember anymore. I had so much crap—we had so many _doubles_ in the Old Panda's place—_'There's no way in hell he'll ever have company over again' _

My lips twitched as I picked the box up again, fiddling with the wrapper before chucking two of the frozen pastries in the individual slots—medium setting, so they wouldn't burn, then I pushed the lever down.

"Jerry? What about him?" I heard Komui's voice rise an octave, "No-no—he's back now," he tilted his head back, leaning it against the wall, "Yes—just a fractured bone. How did you find out?" another crackled silence, "Ah, so you went by the lab today? I'd ask why but," he saw me staring and waved, "you're wondering why I called, right?"

Kanda shifted, lazily on the couch again—inhaling deeply and—_'He has to be awake by now.' _I narrowed my eyes and, sure enough, when he shifted again—and inhaled again—_'yup—he's awake.' _

Shallow breaths for one asleep

Deep breaths for the brink of—

"Not it." Komui chuckled slightly, the final string that pulled Kanda to wakeful-ness, "but yes Lavi's willing to talk now."

At that, Kanda lifted his bleary head—not seeming fully there, like—like he expected to be somewhere else and—

And I nearly jumped when the identical pastries sprang up from the identical openings—and Komui, noticing me, before Kanda, laughed even more, "A little jumpy this morning, Lavi?"

And Froi had something to say to that too—another crackle of response and then—

"What are you doing here?"

I had turned away when he had pointed it out—attempting to pull the pastries out before I got burned—which happened anyway, just because—

'_I really screwed up.' _I hissed a curse under my breath as Kanda repeated the sleepy question, in a cracking voice.

"Ah—ah, yes," Komui heard him now, slightly startled, but I didn't turn around yet—_'I forgot to grab a plate, dumbass.' _--"You didn't seem, well, I brought you home last night, remember?" he was trying to explain himself and he was fumbling.

Then, to Froi, he tried to be equally as happy, "Kanda's up—" then to Yuu, "—do you want to speak with him?" Or, well, that could be to both of them and—

I nearly dropped the plate.

I could feel him—well, the both of them now—staring at the back of my neck. Komui worried, Kanda icy, both not sure what the slip up had meant. Well—my arm _did _hurt—

"Are you okay?" Komui asked a second later, pushing away from the wall, cellphone still planted next to his ear. All I could do was wave my hand carelessly—but before reassuring words left my lips he held the phone out to me, "If you are then—Froi wants to speak with you."

I ignored the probably now burnt pastries and instead, somehow managed to _catch_ the phone when he threw it at me. Holding it up to my ear—as Komui rushed to Kanda's side, offering slapped away help—I asked, "What's up?"

'_Can you meet me?' _a loud sniffle, _'Somewhere? Soon?' _

"Ah—yeah, where?" It was a half-hearted answer, as I watched Komui again attempt to help Kanda.

'_The…the front of the graveyard, how about that?' _another loud sniffle.

"Sure, sure, thirty minutes?" there was an agreeable sniffle on the other end, and only _after_ he hung up did I remember—

I really, really disliked graves. Wasn't superstitious but—that many dead people, all in one place—it was almost disrespectful. Almost.

But I didn't have any choice now, as I left the pastries, still in the unplugged and warm toaster, to help Komui coax Kanda up—this was for that guy.

And I needed to spill, eventually.

-------(about 30 minutes later)-------

I popped both painkillers in my mouth simultaneously before taking a swig of the carbonated…crappy drink. It was actually really, really flat now, since it'd been the first thing I grabbed out of the fridge—and I immediately chucked it into the nearest trashcan I could find—but it worked for all intended purposes.

'_Because of course they'd have a trashcan outside a graveyard. Makes sense, no?' _I looked back over my shoulder at Komui, who gave me a concerned look, "Don't worry." I smiled, and he seemed to believe it well enough, "I'll be back before y'know it. Besides, we're supposed to be at the police station by noon—if I have to, I'll walk."

This seemed to worry him even more, but he tactfully didn't say a word, "I'm sure Lenalee's already at school now—I'll, go back and check on Kanda—" who had, at the time, insisted on taking a shower, just to get the hell _away _from everyone else.

"Yeah, you do that." It worried me, just like everything else Kanda did worried me, but then I was overreacting and I knew it, "Got my cell with me too, so I can actually call—'kay?" I waved slightly before turning away, and walking the few steps to the entrance.

But he still didn't leave. Not until—not until Froi showed up—riding a moped of _all_ things—to the entrance. He was panting, like he had been hurrying, and his face was pinched, concerned, and it looked like he had been crying again. But then he _always_ cried—it was his special skill, after all—crying.

And I had only met him a few times—years, and years ago—to remember something like that.

He attempted to smile when he saw me, but it didn't quite work out—I could tell it was half Komui's fault on that point, and, thankfully, the scientist realized that as well. He quickly slipped back into his obnoxiously yellow car, started the engine—and then he was away in an instant.

'_Too bad I can't learn to drive.' _Well I knew I could, but it was strongly cautioned against, _'It'd be useful.' _All the same, all the same.

A loud sniffled cough and Teidoll started, hesitantly, "It's been quite a while, hasn't it, Lavi?" I nodded my head, turning to look at the many graves that lined the field behind the gate, "Yes—not since…their funeral."

_With closed caskets. Bodies too mangled to be seen. _I remembered specifically, _'Even though I'd seen worse.' _At that point, anyway.

He sniffled and coughed again, "I don't know if you know why I c-called you here," he hesitated, watching me for a moment, I could feel his eyes on the same place at the base of my neck, "But—it's…more of a request than anything."

I turned back to look at him, he looked me straight in the eye, "And that is?" but when I spoke it nearly unnerved him.

He let out a nervous chuckle, "Well—I suppose to say, you've been helping Yuu-kun, right?"

I blinked, "Yes." I nodded my head a second later for emphasis.

"Good, good," he hesitated again, drifting his eyes to his feet before bringing them back up again, "that's always good—after all, he needed someone his own age, since the incident." He coughed again, "It makes so much sense really, and you've done him a world or more of good as a friend—he's changed so much, been able to make his own decisions—and all," I knew then, that he was beating around the bush—and I had a jist of why.

'_Maybe he doesn't believe me.' _Or part of _it_—whatever the holy defined 'it' was—or maybe—_'The person he's doing this for'—_

"But unfortunately,"—_Ah, he's getting to the point—_"Some people aren't convinced."

"Convinced?" Interesting word choice, "Convinced of what? That I'm not helping him?" I wanted to act offended, but that would make him sugar coat things.

"Y-Yes—ah, well, _no_—not exactly." He quickly corrected himself, "There's no doubt that you've been excellent friends with him—but we want to know the reason _why_—or rather, others do, and it's really quite a good question, in my opinion and—"

"Why what?" I cut him off, "Why I became friends with him?" again I kept the curious tone—just for comfort, on his part.

He simply nodded his head, sniffling, then adding, "He's—the reason he's asking is—"

I smiled, "Why don't you tell me that _after_?"

He blinked, shocked, "You'll actually…tell?"

I shrugged, "Why not? So much crap's been going on now, it's no wonder he—"_Whoever he is,' _which I had a pretty good idea of—"was curious."

His shoulders relaxed a bit at that, "Y-Yes…first we finally get back and then of course—with you two, it's that accident." He tried to smile through a sniffle, "We just have a series of extremely bad timed events, no?" I didn't think he needed an answer to that, and sure enough, he picked back up with what he had originally been saying, "So you'll…tell us whether or not—" he hesitantly dropped the sentence off there.

Where I quickly picked up with, "Well I can assure you I'm friends with him." He seemed relieved at this, and smiled, "and of course I'll do anything I can to protect him." Now _that_ made him nervous, "Is that where the 'why' comes in?"

He nodded his head, shifting a bit, before saying, softly, "Because, it's not a—secret, you know, not to us anyway. To them—to Allen, Lenalee, and of course Yuu-kun—what you and that Panda used to be."

'_Ah,' _so they still believed that back then I wasn't a part of the Bookman—_'Even though I was, and it's only been two years'—_And that there was no real way to _quit_ once you started—but—

My lips twitched, "So you want to know if I'm doing it just because of _that_?" he nodded his head, "Well—if you're inclined to believe gramps on that, we haven't _recorded_ pretty much anything since we came here. I'd have no _reason_ to want to record information about him—his parents just died in a fire, presumably an accident—it happens, unfortunately, like any other accident happens in this world."

He bit his lip for a moment, "But it's _not_ a—"

"That too." I cut him off, "That's part of it, yeah." I scratched the back of my head, "Set up by someone—presumably the fathers fault. Again—it happens, I could've recorded that anywhere. Because it _could have_ happened anywhere." He looked worried again, and I tried to smile, "not to be disrespectful to them, because it's wrong no matter _how_ you look at it."

"Y-Yes, I suppose it is." His voice was barely above a mumble, then, louder, "So you weren't doing it because of _that_?"

I shook my head in an obvious 'no', "If I'm doing anything it's on my own free will." His eyes flashed with concern, "That's another why, isn't it?" I almost wanted to laugh—for some…strange, strange reason—a careless laugh because—_'He's going to have to tell me who the questioner is, after this. I won't let him leave till he does.' _

"Yes, assuming you're working on your own free will alone—what _is_ your own free will?" He wasn't sniffling anymore, and his eyes looked a little less red and prone to a sea of tears.

I really did let a chuckle slip at this, "My own free will. I _want_ to protect Yuu."

"You've wanted to protect him since you became friends with him." His voice was soft when he said that, "I noticed—ever since, you were like a shield, even though he never quite needed one." He blinked steadily, at me, "But it seems now he needs that shield—to protect him." I knew what he was getting at a second before the words left his mouth, "But what are you protecting him from?"

My laugh got just a tiny bit louder, "_What_? Well, if you know that he needs protection now, then can't you answer that question yourself?" I looked back through the gates, at the graves, "His parents had quite the reputation, didn't they?"

He hesitated greatly before answering, "Yes they did. Moreso than their son would have wanted."

"And when people have a reputation, they have connections right?" I wondered, and he mutely nodded his head, "Which means there's always a chance to make someone irrationally angry at them, right?" I could hear him swallow, "So you know that it might have something to do with that, right?"

"It—it could." He finally managed out, 'But they were such amazing people."

"To you." I pointed out, and he flinched.

"Yes to me." I could hear tears in his voice, but sad—sad acceptance too, "though I suppose to some people they could have been cruel."

"Everyone's cruel to someone else's eyes." Again I felt the need to point that out, "Even if that anger is irrational, and disappears with time. It's being human—and I don't think anyone in their right minds would give it up."

He seemed partially shocked with my reply, blinking a few seconds—his eyes misty, "That's true, I suppose. So—so someone would hate them, and, they would hate them so much that even after—after their death they would want revenge." He flinched at the word choice, coughed, and changed it, "Compensation. But why would they take it out on Yuu-kun?"

"Because there're some sick sadistic bastards out there?" his lips twitched at that.

"It still doesn't make sense."

"Well then—maybe it's not supposed to."

His eyes narrowed, "Yes but—it still doesn't explain it. I knew his parents, yes, I knew they might've had enemies, yes, but," they focused on me for a moment, "How do _you_—you seem to know more about it, and,"

"That's the source of the questions?" I finished for him, "for whoever the mysterious question-asker is?" He nodded, "Well, I guess, he's asking good questions." He seemed mildly surprised that I said that, but hid it will, taking his glasses off the bridge of his nose and wiping them with a clean handkerchief produced from the pocket of his jacket, "But I guess the easiest thing for me to say is—I'm doing it of my own free will."

"No strings attached?" my eyes widened slightly, when I heard another voice, rougher, and louder than Tiedoll's, from somewhere behind me.

"No strings attached." I confirmed, resisting the urge to turn my head—because I could smell the alcohol, and I knew it had to be Cross.

"So all the connections—they're all on your basis of Analyzation?" Smart words for someone who seemed to always be drunk, but I didn't say that out loud. I didn't need to go back with a black eye.

"Yup," I agreed, "All from what I found out myself." Only when he didn't respond to that, did I turn around. "But I'm surprised they haven't asked _you_ where you've gotten this all from."

"Oh we have." A woman with blond hair and a monkey perched on her shoulder, stated from behind him, arms crossed over her chest, "Didn't say much, but," her eyes narrowed—_'She doesn't like him'—_but then, what sane woman did?—as she stared, nearly accusingly, at Cross, "See? They were right."

Whatever she was referring to, Cross didn't seem to believe it, "Of course. I guess not all connections are severed, though, if you can find _that_ much out?"—_Connections?_—"You're still a Bookman."

_'Oh. Right.' _

"Well it does come in handy sometimes." I had no opening for lying here, "But then—connections come in handy for lots of things, don't they?" I lowered my eyes for a moment, "You would know that too, right?"

I barely saw him raise an eyebrow at that, and, gruffly, "Whaddya mean by that?"

"What do you think I mean?" I felt like I was indulging one side of me, probably more than I should, "How did _you_ get information on _me_ enough to think I would—" I cut my sentence off, they assumed the rest.

He ran a hand through his hair, a little darker than my own, "A drinking partner."

"And who does this drinking partner have a connection to?"

Oh. He didn't like that. He cussed, silently, under his breath, then louder, then said—"How the hell should _I_ know?"

"Well enough to know to listen to her." I laughed, "Or what is she? Psychic?" he seemed disturbed by that answer, "But then—you'd have to know her well enough _then_. And," I cocked my head to the side, "What about your other connections? Even with Allen—that isn't quite so innocent anymore, is it?"

And, _shit_—I knew I shouldn't have said that.

-------(a few hours later, at the Police Station)-------

She blinked, stared, and then let out a low whistle, "Now _how _did that happen?" She asked, brushing her dyed hair to the side, eyes, curiously inspecting my, well, black eye. Then her eyes drifted towards Kanda, "Did he give you that when you tried to jump him?"

I blinked—even though the action was painful—and laughed, "No, no, I got this because I said something stupid to someone else." She didn't seem to believe me, "But I _did_ get a huge bruise to the head cuz of him."

Her eyes sparked with laughter, "No?" I nodded, "No way, what?" she reached out to touch my head, "Where?" I pulled away before she could though, holding up my right arm—a warning, which made her pull back, and say, huffing, "Jeez, you sure are a glutton for punishment."

I didn't necessarily agree on that—but—she was right, to a certain extent, "Maybe." I laughed out instead, turning my one good eye—my one decided _black_ eye—to look around the room. We were in the lobby, for some reason, they wouldn't let us back yet. Maybe because we were early, or maybe they were—_'But questioning someone else? Nothing happens in this town'_—and it didn't. Really.

"I'm glad they didn't make Kefen come too," Rebecca murmured, next to me, finally taking the chance to sit down in the seat provided, "The poor kid—has enough issues as it is." Then her eyes followed no particular pattern, over to Kanda, who was just—sitting there, farther away from me than I would have liked—but he was deemed innocent, by the boy, and they obviously believed the child—he was scott free, so to speak.

Then the door banged open, making us turn our heads. It was the other one—from the accident—_Tasha_ or, or something similar to that. She looked relaxed, if not stressed—in that relaxed sort of way, which, wait—_'I'm just repeating myself'—_I let out a silent sigh. Her hands were twitching too, as she looked around the lobby—

"Oh good, I'm not late." She sighed, relieved, "Terribly, Terribly sorry." Like we needed to accept her apology.

Then she went and sat by Yuu.

Like _she_ thought she was oh-so-innocent herself.

And she was staring at him too, like she recognized him from somewhere. Though, a second later, she ripped her eyes away, like the image disturbed her—like one in a horror film that seemed too real. She shifted her shawl over her tanned skin—what was showing, not covered from her blouse and—crossed her legs, quite feminine, underneath the bell-like dress she wore.

'_**Commit to Memory. Soak in Everything, and learn—learn what the subtlest things can mean.' **_

It had been a lesson I remember gramps teaching me, before we came to this peaceful place. And I had a feeling—a feeling—I needed to remember this. Everything about this—how Rebecca, sitting next to me, someone I knew vaguely from all the times I seemed to run into her, had dyed her hair since Monday, but still had it looking the same—and how Kefen was curiously absent—and how Kanda was _still_ ignoring me, not even _touching_ me—

And how the woman acted like she was innocent. And how the other man—didn't even show up.

Then—the door, the door leading to one of the questioning rooms—or to the hall that led to them—it opened too, with a loud screech against the linoleum. It was a natural action for a door—_'But in this case it means something.'—_it meant something because we would be going_ through_ that door in a second.

And what was coming _through_ it now.

Voices—footsteps—_highheels? A policewoman?—_I didn't get much else out, before I heard laughter—not the kind, gentle, which showed a woman's innocence—the kind that belied how _evil_ woman could be—and a familiar voice.

"Of course I don't mind. We'll be staying here for a few more days, anyway. Though I find it interesting—you have so many roads, yet this is the first time something like this has happened?" It was the voice of someone acting like something was serious—and shouldn't be enjoyed—but who was enjoying it all the same.

"Yes, we have—we have strict rules, and nearly everyone follows them." I heard the familiar voice of one of the police officers from that day—the older one, "So that events like this can't happen." It was sad to hear that he sounded almost afraid of her.

"That's good," the footsteps got louder, and then, the younger policeman continued to hold the door open, for hr to pass through, "Now who—"

'_Oh crap.' _My legs moved on their own—I was up and out of my chair in an instant, when the familiar—familiar bronzed skin, and familiar sunglasses—_'She still wears them indoors?'_—and her hair, which was now much shorter than it had been two years ago—came walking through that door.

And she took a moment, like she always did, to inspect her surroundings. Eyes never staying in one place, but seeming like they did. First they inspected—and thankfully lingered—on the woman, scrutinizing, but because of her sunglasses, the look went unnoticed—unnoticed, at least, it should have.

The woman seemed to notice however, and glared right back—but only for a moment, before the glance moved away—to Kanda now. She eyed him like she wanted to memorize him for familiarity purposes, which was the best I could hope for in a situation like this. But it worried me, too—because really, she _shouldn't_ be familiar with him--_'Because that never ends well.' _At least, in the whole years I had known her, it didn't. But again, it was the best. The best option the best—the words died, slowly, when her gaze tore away from him and began to travel over to this side--

They skipped over me entirely, or at least, they didn't start scrutinizing me. They went for Rebecca, and I could see her nose crinkle. But her eyes left her soon enough—falling, of course, on the only other person in the room.

Me.

And her lips twitched, familiarly, "So. This is it?"

The older policeman nodded his head, "Yes…one is just—a-a child. The other, is in the hospital still, he got injured in the accident."

She pressed her lips together in a thin line, "I see, so," she slipped her glasses off, perching them on her head, before looking at us all again.

'_Her eyes haven't changed much either.' _They were still the same olive, which nearly screamed foreign—and the same slitted pupils, which gave her the much loved nickname—_'Snake'_—and her lips, twitched, a little more, when, after this scan, her eyes fell on me again.

"Well this looks promising." She stated, rather casually. "But I wonder—I said I brought a _guest _with me, didn't I?" she looked at the older policeman, but both of them tensed. She took that as enough of an answer, "Can I bring him in?"

"If…if you think he'll help." The older policeman gulped, which, in turn, made her laugh—and, in turn, made him flinch—

"Oh no, I don't doubt he'll do much of anything—he'll be furious since I outright said he probably didn't _need_ to help me." This disturbed the both of them, but neither spoke, "But—I guess—it's to meet them."

Then I knew she'd say it.

'_Damn it, Damn it, Damn it.' _Except I didn't really mean those words. Not really—anyway.

"You there, with the redhair," she pointed me out first, like she always would, "Your name's Lavi, right?" That gained their attention, if nothing else did.

I shrugged my shoulders—"Maybe, why?"

That made her laugh again, but it was friendlier, and much more welcome to the ears of the two police men—I could see it on their faces, saying, _'She's actually human_—"Well, if it is then, that Old Panda has way more to answer for than I thought." She slipped her sunglasses back on over her eyes, "Because it's been, what? Two years?"

I felt an icy gaze on my neck again—I didn't have to guess to know who it was. But maybe it did hurt—just a little. Especially when _she_ noticed but—but didn't say anything. She just kept talking—

"It's great to see you again." Her laughter got just a bit louder as she stepped forward—it only took a few steps, to cross the distance between us—and looped her arm around my own, "And I'm sure Polar will say the same."

But all the same—all the same—

The same cold stare at the base of my neck, as I was nearly dragged out the door—out into the sunlight—it didn't change. And it hurt that I might not—be able to explain this. Not entirely, anyway.

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**I had roughly three ways I wanted Livvy to meet Lavi, and admittedly, it didn't go quite the way I had planned, but this way it flows better into the next chapter (oh, and this is also the first chapter in a while with just one POV in it). Again, I hope this answered some questions but, and this may just be me, I don't feel like I can trust Lavi's explanation quite yet (though he IS telling the truth, just not saying stuff). **

**As always, have questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? SEND IT VIA REVIEW! (especially for a chapter like this, it's imperative that one understands everything) **

**-Till the Next Chapter (Which yes, it's already finished -was finished before this was uploaded-) **

**-Harmony283**


	22. Connection pt 5

**Chapter 21 in counting, and...yes this is out early (like I said in the last chapter, I've been done with _this_ chapter since before I uploaded it). Why? Because I got annoyed with not having the rest of the explanation in -shrugs- (Not that this one starts off with it immediately, but...). Also, since this one's out early--and goes along with the previous chapter, review for both (in case you have questions about something specifically explained in either chapter) if you already haven't -bows head- or else you may be entirely confused later on when I reference some of the stuff...  
**

**Note: forewarning, I wrote this late at night—listening to a really crappy song on repeat—so somehow Cross turned out half-nice in this. –blinks- He really wasn't supposed to, but…I think it worked itself out, somehow. Ah, heck, just read and you'll see what I mean…**

**Anon Reviews: **

**Brizu: **I think only you can answer that question -laughs- (though...FF also apparently has been having issues, -thinks that some people didn't even get a warning/etc that she updated-). Well--who could skip over _Komui_? (besides, I know someone who adores his character, and when she gets around to reading this/picking it up again and reading it, she'd probably stress out if I _didn't_ add him in XD) true he doesn't play a huge role, except that he knows many, many people and has all their phonenumbers stored on speed dial on his cell-phone XD I was actually a bit surprised that Lavi didn't like it (figured out from a bio thing...a long while ago), so I was like 'Yay! I like him even more!" because I dislike spicy things (though I do like peppers--especially bell peppers, when they're steamed they taste sweet) -laughs- why thank you (though college is very important...free time is also important too, I think. So I'm glad you spend your free time reading this!) and of course--thanks so much for the review! -hugs- and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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**Allen's POV**

"So," I jolted when I felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around my neck, "aww—jeez you're jumpy." Complimented by the familiar laugh, "it's just me All-en!"

I let out a nervous laugh and smiled back at Road, who detached herself from around my neck, "I'm sorry—just—you came up so suddenly."

She leaned against the wall, next to the water fountain, smiling, "I know. But—it's lunchtime now, y'know?" I glanced up at the clock and, sure enough, she was right. This made her laugh even more, "I know you just got out of PE—but—can you really not hear the bell ring from the locker room?"

I glanced at the door I had just come out of—as always, I was one of the last out, just because—then at the bell hanging over to the water fountain I had just drunk from, "Well, the bell's been broken a while."

She looked up at it as well, "True. But it's not like you to miss _lunch_."

I blinked, glancing up at the clock again, "What? It's only been a minute?"

Her eyes narrowed, "You're always the first in line—you always tell me that last year you'd make like, two trips! And you'd get Lavi to help you carry half of it because you got so much!"

'_I told her that?' _I couldn't help but smile sheepishly, "W-Well, I guess…" my stomach growled, but nowhere near as loudly as usual, "I'm just not too hungry today." I finished, and her scowl—pout—whatever it was—deepened just a bit—

"More like you haven't been hungry all _week_," no, it was a definite pout now, as she pushed herself away from the wall, "not to mention—Lenalee's avoiding you."

'_Well that's kinda obvious.' _I remembered just this morning—she had gotten a ride with someone else, apparently, because Komui had stayed with Lavi and Kanda—_'I hope Lavi isn't dead.' _But I highly doubted even _Kanda_ would go that far—overnight, and I had gotten a ride with Road, again—and she had _flat out_ turned away when she saw me.

"Will you tell me at least what happened?" I tensed as she leaned in closer, concern there, when it usually wasn't, "I mean, I know you didn't go home last night—you've been avoiding it too."

"Oh, ah, thanks for letting me stay over again." I reminded myself, "I mean—"

She waved it off, "That's no big deal, I think papa likes you. _But_," she inched closer, almost like she was going to _kiss_ me—_'Please don't,' _I found myself thinking, _'I know you're my—but…not yet.' _–she seemed to read my mind, and instead wrapped her arms around my neck, hugging me, much gentler than normal.

Then she whispered, right in my ear, "What happened? You looked so—_broken_ when we—when we came over and—" she hesitated, pulling back.

This wasn't like her, "its fine I just—Cross got angry." I shrugged, "He was drunk, and got angry, and he just stormed out. It startled me—I'm…I'm surprised you didn't see him when you drove up—he didn't take his car." It was a lie, or half of one—because he _was_ drunk, and he _was_ angry, but—

She chose to believe me, "We didn't see him. Or if we did—_they_ did—" Lavi, Kanda, or her uncle—"then we would've said something. Or at least I would've."

And I was actually glad that they hadn't—because at least—at least if _Lavi_ had seen anything, he would've known immediately what—what—

"Your face just paled." She stepped closer again, worried again, "Are you sure—" she reached a hand up, touching my left eye gently, "he didn't…y'know, _do_ anything?" It was like she was reading my mind—I—I—

I felt sick.

And a second later, whatever contents I had eaten that day—which, thankfully, was much less than normal—wound up on the floor in front of me. Road wasn't disgusted though, she just leaned down with me—_like she read my mind_, I kept repeating, in my head—and asked, "Where's the PE teacher? Does he have lunch this period too? Or—"

She didn't have to continue her question, however, because just then the door to the Gym—the one that lead out from the locker rooms—banged open and the student teacher—a chubby guy, I forgot his name—started with a—with a—

I threw up again, just ask he asked, "What the—" he backed up almost immediately, looking disgusted—and then, and then I heard another pair of familiar footsteps

I didn't _want_ to know who they belonged to.

_Lenalee._

-------(Lenalee's POV –a few minutes before then end of Allen's POV-)-------

'_Why am I so worried?' _I kept glancing towards the cafeteria doors—the ones closest to the Gym, that were always left propped open, _'He should be here by now—maybe the boy's locker room was locked.' _

It was logical, except I had seen two boys—both in his PE class, I knew because I _had_ waited for him at one point, outside the Gym doors, and I had seen them _try_ to talk with him before—walk in at the beginning of lunch.

'_So where is he?'_I couldn't even eat the chicken salad I had gotten myself at the Salad Bar, and usually I liked it—even though half the time it was near _frozen_, for some bizarre reason.

I bit my lip and finally—_finally_ I just stood up. One girl, one who always sat next to me, for whatever reason, asked, "Where're you going?" when she noticed I hadn't even touched my meal.

"I—a friend of mine," I tried explain, "he's here today, um, and I'm—"

"Oh? That Allen kid?" she was a year older than me, but she didn't have to call everyone _kid_, "I dunno if you wanna know where he is." I blinked, dumbly, and she laughed, "Who _else_ isn't here besides him?" she didn't give me a chance to answer, "R_oad_ isn't—and I don't know about you, but when a boyfriend and girlfriend go missing during lunch, something naughty's probably goin' down. An' if you wanna keep your innocent views on your friends—y'better _not_ give chase." She resolutely jabbed her fork into the unnamable concoction—_pasta_ in some sort of strange, strange sauce—and shoved it in her mouth.

But—but—but—

"Allen wouldn't do that."

"He's how old?" she didn't even miss a beat—even with her mouth full. She just pushed a curly strand of hair back from her eyes, and slurped the noodles up greedily.

"F-Fifteen."

"An' Fifteen year olds have hormones just like any other guy over the age of twelve." She raised her hand before I could protest—_'She doesn't know him, she doesn't_' I kept telling myself, in my head—"Trust me, you've gotta be around at least for a year, _then_ you'll notice—besides, count yourself lucky you haven't walked in on anyone yet. The locker rooms are a notorious make-out spot."

I grimaced, "I've been here for two years." I reminded her, "And I've known Allen since—since we were _kids_—I don't think—"

"You didn't think he'd up and date Road did ya?"

'_She's acting like she knows me.' _I wanted to slap her. Or kick her, or something—but—but—

"W-Well no," _Why am I continuing this conversation_? I turned away before I could hear her answer—but I did anyway, because she was loud, and I was a little too aware that her friends had turned to look at me too.

"Well he _did_—I'd rather've chosen you if I was him, you're much hotter, _but_ he didn't, so there."

So there.

So there.

I tried hard not to let that get to me—not to let the prickling tears fall—_Crying at school is so embarrassing_—"I-I'll go look for him anyway." I mumbled, but I doubted she heard me, she just went back to eating—pigging out, like Allen did—and I—I—just headed towards the doors, stopping only once when Miranda—Ms. Lotto—our homeroom teacher, who really worried too much about everyone, and thought too less of herself—tried to stop me at the doors.

"Is everything okay?" She wondered, nervously, fidgeting.

"I'm just looking for Allen." I tried to smile, but she knew I was sad, "H-He's here today, and I don't _think_ he's sick—" though I hated to notice that he hadn't eaten nearly as much as he used to this week—it was almost unnerving.

'_I'm sure Road probably knows.' _

And I knew, then, that jealousy wasn't a fun emotion. No where near as fun as—as some girls seemed to _think_ it was. It hurt, and it was painful, especially when I knew _Road_ tried—she was trying, actually, I wanted to laugh at the concept, but I kept my mouth shut—to be my friend.

She was trying, _'I can't be jealous of that.' _

She liked Allen, probably, for the same reasons I did—_'But what did she do?' _

I paused, realizing my feet had already carried me to the Gym, and I had no choice now—but to open the large double doors—they really _were_ heavy—and walk in. My legs felt weak, though, the closer I got to the locker room doors—or the doors that led to them, anyway.

And I noticed, strangely, that one was propped open—the one I had to—had to go through. A sickening noise was coming through it, and I heard a mixture of voices—a "What the—" then I saw the back of the—the student teacher, right?—_'What's his name again?' _I couldn't quite remember—"Is he—sick?" I heard him ask again, and suddenly my legs felt lighter—

Only to feel like lead a second later when I heard Road's voice, "I think…so. He just—started throwing up, and he said—he said he wasn't hungry." I was nearly right in front of the door—and—I saw her, worriedly, not even disgusted by the—_Allen's sick_ I saw the contents of his stomach lying on the floor, in front of the water fountain—just as the student teacher turned around.

"Shit, shit," he muttered, then noticed me, "Ah—ah—you shouldn't be here—" he immediately tried to shoo me away.

But how could I listen? I stepped past him, "Allen?" He barely looked up at me before he was sick again, and Road wasn't even disgusted, she just kept a hand on his shoulder—but her eyes were on me and they looked—_grateful?—_

'_How can I be jealous of this?' _I swallowed, "Allen? What—what happened?"

"He just started throwing up." She wasn't even annoyed that she had to repeat herself, "If you won't," she directed that at the student teacher, who was nervously fidgeting still, looking pale himself, "then I'll go get the nurse. Or someone."

"No! No! I'll—I'll get her." He fumbled over his words, turning away too quickly, "I'll be—right, right back—um, uh, I'll get a janitor too! To c-clean up!"

Road didn't say anything to that, she just continued to rub Allen's back—he was shaking now, but…not…not…

I couldn't get near him, the acidic smell of the mess made my stomach churn—

'_But she doesn't mind.' _Not even when she semi-stepped in it to help him try to stand, _'how can I be jealous of that?' _

When she motioned—motioned me over to her—I couldn't move. Couldn't say _'yes I'll help_' I could do a thing. I just watched her, continue to rub him on his back, and then—and then—

At least I got her water bottle out of her bag when she asked. I could at least do that. And I filled it with water, and gave it to him—to see if he'd drink it.

And he smiled—and I felt so dirty.

'_How can I be jealous?' _

How could I?

-------(Polar's POV)-------

Honestly I was _bored_. Who could blame me? I'd be sitting in the damn rental car for a few hours, with only a damn crossword puzzle as my means of entertainment—_'does someone get carsick when the car isn't moving?' _

Was the answer yes? Because of the car smell? Or no, because your body knows you aren't moving, thus isn't confused? Thus can't tell your body 'Oh, gee, I wanna throw up now.'

Which was probably why I was so surprised when Livvy popped her head back in through the half-opened window, asking, "Are you fried yet?" I nearly shot out of my seat—_'Which, actually, leather's quite comfortable when y'wanna take a nap' _I stored that later, for better use, somewhere in the back of my brain.

Regardless, though, I tilted my tinted glasses—which yes, I finally bought a pair, and she had _laughed_ the entire time, saying I looked even more like those—those model people, which I couldn't stand, but—she stare at her clearly. She was grinning like a cat, her tongue darting over her lips, before they widened to a grin, "Well? Are you?"

"You're done already?" I knew she cuoldn't be, I had only half paid attention enough to see a rather curvy woman bolt in through the doors about two minutes ago—all in guilty conscience.

"_No_," she laughed—she was in a better mood, "But you won't guess who's here? Couldn't drag him out here, they stopped me," she hesitated, "So why don't you come in and see?"

My eyes narrowed, "I told you I didn't want to get involved."

"Well we already are." She snapped back a second later, "can you guess why?"

"Because you decided to be helpful?"

She rolled her eyes at this, "_No_—well, yes, but that doesn't mean _you're_ involved at all. Now get your lazy ass outta the car."

"Don't wanna." I felt like complaining more, but her eyes narrowed—more into slits, more into giving her that _look_—which reminded me too much of how aptly she was nicknamed. But of course—being difficult with her was fun—she didn't _have_ to know I'd already agreed, did she? Oh no—

"Why?"

"Because,"

"Because _why_?"

"Good lord you're older than me yet you act younger." She rolled her eyes again before dropping her sunglasses back onto the bridge of her nose, "Fine then, I'll just tell precious little Rabbit-kun that you're being an Ass, and he'll laugh at you."

I blinked, _'R-Rabbit-kun?' _

"Yup," she read my expression too easily behind those tinted glasses of hers, "Lapin—he's here." I gawked and she laughed, "Seriously—he _will_ laugh at you. Or bolt," I could barely see it, but her eyes narrowed again, in a thoughtful way, "I can't read 'im well enough to get a straight answer."

I swallowed, strangely thickly, "This is the _same_ Rabbit that can do tricks?" She nodded, "Like—like his specialty?" she nodded again, a little hurriedly—

"And he's waiting inside. You coming or not?"

"Is the air conditioning on?" it was a stupid question, but one worth asking, which she knew the answer to.

"Well," yet she thought about it anyway, "You're asking someone who's naturally warm blooded, but yes it is. Bring your jacket and gloves, you girly man."

I scowled, "You know why."

"Oh yes I very much do." She laughed out as I picked my gloves up from the, well, glove compartment, and grabbed my jacket from the backseat.

"So I don't have much of a choice." He stated, sighing, "It's annoying, but at least it's still warm here."

"How _did_ you survive on the plane ride back?" She wondered as I tried to put the jacket on sitting, which is a lot harder than it looks—_'So I don't feel stupid—_"they had air conditioning, right?"

"I was wearing a scarf, remember?" I tried to sound injured, "You're the one that gave it to me." She just laughed again, as she watched me now fiddle with the lock—each car was different, annoyingly so. But I somehow managed, kicking it open with my foot for extra emphasis.

Once I got my footing on the still-warm pavement, she latched her arm around mine, and nearly _dragged_ me inside—"No dragging please!" I tried to say, but only got half out before we stepped into cool front room of the police station.

It took me a second to get used to the suddenly poor—or at least, very different—lighting, but once I did (and managed to jerk my arm out of her grasp in the process), I recognized him immediately.

Him and the silently raging guy next to him—who looked like—looked like he _didn't_ want to be here, or anywhere near the familiar red-head.

That and the two policemen, fidgeting over by the door, like they had been stung by something entirely unpleasant—but one, at least, got up enough muster to speak, "And…you are?" It was the older of the two, rather fat—_'Probably's seen more donuts than crimes'_ I kept the thought mental, though, no need to piss off authority, who were in fact, _scared_ of you.

"His name's Polar," Livvy answered for me, making the man tense, "As I said—he ain't helpin', but—_you_." She pointed to the redhead, which actually made the guy next to him more uncomfortable outwardly than inward, "since you're here, we'll start with _you_ first."

"Because you know him?" the voice was quiet, but confident—belonging to a girl in the corner, wearing what looked like a uniform to some restaurant, and her hair, dyed salmon, at the tips.

'_I wonder how long _that_ took.' _But then, I never got why girls dyed their hair in the first place—to make a fashion statement, maybe, but it really didn't help. Not that I'd say that out loud, definitely not.

Livvy laughed at this though, in a friendly non-obtrusive way that actually seemed to make the girl _relax_, "no, no, just cuz I think it might take the longest." One of the policemen looked like he wanted to say something to that, but he kept his mouth tactfully silent.

But the guy next to the redhead—to Lapin, or Rabbit or, _Lavi—_still seemed bothered, and more bothered when Lavi moved away from him, like he wanted him to stay put, just so he could bash him over the top of his head if he said something wrong.

'_What an odd relationship.' _But then—I'd never been in a normal one myself, as I tried to plaster a grin on my face, this thought—this thought, and maybe a few others, kept banging against each other. A bad combination because he was good at _reading_ people—and he probably knew on some level that, if we hadn't yelled at the Old Panda, then we'd definitely yell at _him_—but he followed us anyway, through the door that the younger of the two policemen quickly propped open—down the hall, to one of the last rooms.

Where the door was firmly shut again—and he opened his mouth—and Livvy interrupted him, like she always had before—

"We aren't going to yell at you." _'We aren't?' _He looked almost as surprised as me at the news, "But—_what the heck_?"

-------(Lavi's POV)-------

'_Well at least she won't yell at me.' _I saw an equally surprised look on Polar's face, but it was gone in an instant, when she spoke her next words—words that I didn't quite get, because they didn't make much sense by themselves, without an aforementioned action to go with them and—

'_Of course she'd be like that, though.' _I quickly reminded myself, before asking, out loud, "What the heck about _what_?" Just to give her the chance to explain, because I had finally gotten my mouth and lips and voice to work enough to ask something simple as that.

She looked caught between actually telling me, and passing it off with a deranged hand movement, but finally her voice won over, "Now's not the time to get to know you again, so we'll keep it on the task at hand—_why_ the heck did you go and get involved in the only crazy murder case here?"

Well. How could I respond to _that_? Polar was giving her just as quizzical a look—because he probably knew—if he hadn't changed, of course, which, judging from a few things, he _had_—that I had, or at least on some level, accepted what was about to come out of this—this shit.

She seemed to read my expression well enough, though, to say—"I hope it was intentional, whatever role you play, because don't for a second think I'm letting you off. I _know_ you too well for that."

Polar wanted to say something to that, but one glance at me, and whatever those words had been, died on his lips, replaced by a sigh that spoke volumes.

He had definitely changed—_'But then, he was the last one I spoke to.' _On that summer of two years ago, before we severed ties, _'And that hadn't ended too well.' _Because it hadn't, and it was too messy for anything to—

I didn't want to think about it. My still-empty stomach wouldn't allow it. It reminded me that—_'Hell, I haven't eaten yet today.' _–and—_'I got a black eye from Cross cuz I was right' _–and, _'Lenalee's angry with me, flat out kicked me outta her own house—and Yuu'—_Yuu didn't want to be here either.

And I needed to say something so I said the only thing I could, "Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't—maybe I'm just someone who got the short end of the stick in the long run, but," they were both looking at me now—Livvy, interested, Polar unreadable but…amused? Or something close to it—"if it works out then it works out, right?"

"Because you've got luck." Livvy answered, after a moment, and a sigh, "But don't forget—you've got good luck _and_ bad luck too."

"I know." And for once she didn't question that. For once she didn't, and just stared at me. Then—

"Well, will you tell me the basic details? Of the accident? I'm going to have to get it from _someone_ and I think I scared the policy-men too much to get it from _them_. So you're the next reliable source."

Of course, "That's why you're here?" she nodded her head, "Not for anything else?"

"Well," she hesitated for a moment, "Yes—I am here for something else—as in, I'm in the US for something else. But here, I'm to help with questioning, and Polar's supposed to be sightseeing."

"So far I've seen a bathroom, a cheap gas station, and the inside of a very nice fourstar hotel." He added on, "Oh—and now the inside of a police-station, what next?"

I wanted to smile at that—some oddities never changed. Thankfully.

"But _anyway_," she spat a second later, "Back on track—Lavi, spill all you know."

-------(Polar's POV)-------

"Yes ma'am." He answered, almost mockingly, "Should I start from the beginning?" she nodded her head, "Well—we were on our way to university I think—me and Kanda, I mean, since I don't drive, obviously." He touched his eyepatch lightly, "Next thing we knew—we got to the cross section in front of Cross's diner—y'should've passed it on the way here—and apparently someone ran out into th' middle of the road, or _somethin'_, because the cars in front of us skidded to a halt—we managed to stop before we hit the one in front of us, thanks t'Yuu's good driving—" I could only assume _Yuu _and _Kanda_ were the same person, but then it made sense that it would be, "—but the car behind us didn't stop fast enough, an' it rear-ended us, which made _us_ rear end the car in front. Then—" he hesitated, "After the policemen came, I tried to get the guy who hit the girl to get outta his damn car, but he kept freaking out—he had t'go to the hospital, an' like they said, he still isn't out yet. Probably won't be anytime soon. He looked crushed."

Then he exhaled, loudly, and the first thing to Livvy's lips was, "That's it?"

"Pretty much."

"Did you know the girl who got hit?"

"I didn't really see 'er," he shrugged nonchalantly, "But who knows—could've met her at the grocery store or something—this isn't that big of a place, after all."

"I see, okay, I'll remember that." She glanced at me as if she expected _me_ to remember it as well, "And Yuu was the one who was in the lobby? The guy with the long hair?" He nodded his head, "He's your roommate, right? Or you're his?" again another nod, "He didn't look too happy though."

At this a pained expression crossed his face, "I wouldn't blame 'im." He bit his lip slightly, eye shifting to the side, away from us, "He's had it rough since—well, all this week." He he reached up to touch his eyepatch again, and that's when I noticed—under his jacket sleeve—

"You got hurt?" I put too much concern in my voice—I knew it. He looked surprised, then nervous, then he hid it all behind a mask, one I _tried_ to mimic a second later, but in my voice, "is that why?"

He glanced at his arm, "That's—I was stupid, not careful. Had t'get stitches. I-I don't think I've made it easy on 'im."

"Well you do get hurt easily." Livvy seemed to remind herself, "And you don't take good care of yourself afterwards, it was taxing on _us_ each time you came to visit—and then you'd like, break something—but is that it?"

For a moment he was silent, before murmuring a quiet, "No." Because he knew, in one way or another—Livvy _would_ get the information. She would even if it wasn't exactly nice, and even if it meant questioning the supposedly cleared Yuu Kanda who still sat, waiting, in the lobby. She didn't even have to ask him _why_ before he shifted again, and answered, "He—he met up with his guardian again, yesterday, along with…someone else."

She raised an eyebrow, "and who might this person be?"

"I don't see how it'd help."—_'Why is that so unnerving?'_—the way he said that—_'Protective. He's being protective—_"But he said their name was Rei."

"Rei? Rei….?" As if she expected a last name to go along with it.

To which, Lavi grimaced and shrugged, "I've been here long, but not long enough to know _that_. He doesn't tell me everything."

Her eyes narrowed, immediately, like she didn't quite believe him, "Really?"

"Really." Not even a second to breathe in between.

"Well," she said, not wasting any breathing time either, "I suppose you can leave now." A second later and she glanced back at me, "You too—tell the next person what room I'm in and then go wait out in the car again. You're shaking."

-------(Allen's POV)-------

I hadn't expected him to show up—or even to pick the phone up when the nurse called. But he did, and he had, and now he was talking with the nurse, with me, with an icepack on my head—and he was actually pretty good at acting, because he _sounded_ concerned.

"Keep him in bed; give him plenty of fluids, and Tylenol every four hours to help reduce the fever." The nurse listed in a slightly dazed voice, "I'm not sure how he managed to get this far in the day without anyone noticing his fever but—I just hope it isn't contagious."

Cross laughed at that, "You'd be surprised—he's stubborn, but I'll make sure he stays home Monday—if the fever's still there." The nurse nodded, looking relieved—but—but—I felt _anything_ but.

"Oi, can you stand?" Cross asked, looking over at me—the concern, and—_Guilt_—still there. But I did what he said—I couldn't let him _touch_ me, because if he did—if he did—

I had almost already forgiven him—_but_—

Just.

No.

"Good," he sounded marginally relieved when I didn't stumble over my own two feet, "But gimme the bag—no extra weight. I pulled the car up front—not as far to walk." He actually held the door open for me too—both to the nurses office, then to the double doors of the school—and then to the passenger's side of his—what else?—expensive black foreign brand car that I could never pronounce the name to—so I wouldn't try.

The leather cushions were warm—from the sun still beating down overhead—a strange contrast to the overcast that it had been all week—as I sat down. I couldn't help but lean back against them, and close my eyes. I didn't think the car ride home would be any easier.

I heard the engine burst to life a second later, and I felt the car—move away from the curb. And it was strange how little I remembered—of the car ride home—I was half dazed, probably—and I _did_ have a fever—but I hated not remembering things. It was—it was—

All I could remember was the passenger's side door opening again, and Cross helping me out—his hands, much, much gentler than they should have been—and I should've been repulsed by his touch, but it felt like always when he decided to be, well, _nice_—which was rare and—and—

"You think too much." He muttered to my silence, "It'll make your fever worse." It was strange with how incredibly guilty he sounded. I was surprised I even noticed—but he _never_ sounded guilty—_never, never_—

We made it about halfway through the lobby before I felt my feet give out. I heard the receptionist gasp—and Cross, of course, curse—but he had me up—too, too easily—in an instant, "Fever." He explained to someone who had rushed over to help, "The damn kid caught something an' didn't say a damn word. So stubborn." I heard the attempted smile in his voice—

'_Why can I tell?' _

I used to be bad at it before.

'_It's the fever. It's the fever.' _

And through it all he still sounded guilty. Guilty. Guilty.

It'd be great if he developed a conscience now, _'Mana'd be happy.' _But Mana wasn't here to see it—

'_Is that why he's so worried?' _because Mana died so suddenly so—I didn't _remember_ clearly, how he died—but—he was guilty, and worried—and—again I barely remembered much, except when he laid me down on _his_ bed—not the one, in my room—his big, comfy one that I wasn't sure how he got the money for.

I wasn't even aware—not—not till hours later—because it was _noon_ when they called, when I was at school—and then suddenly—suddenly when I opened my eyes it was—it was—

The clock flashed a large 6, followed by two predominant zeros, and a small 'PM'.

"Ah—your fever went down." The only reason I knew I was up, too, was because Cross was hanging over me—red hair, tickling my cheeks, and he had just taken the thermometer out of my mouth. Then he blinked, and looked down at me again, "Do you want somethin' to eat?"

Again the guilt, but there was relief too.

All the same my stomach growled at the word _eat_—because it meant _food_—but I wasn't sure _what_ I could eat, and—

"Soup?" he suggested, "Not too much, though. Hrm," he got up—he had pulled a chair over from his desk, apparently—"I don't think we've got anything but canned—don't think you'd want somethin' I made anyway."

'_He's being nice.' _It was a fuzzy thought, but better than blank.

He stopped at the doorway, though—I had turned my head enough to see him stop, "Close your eyes again." He ordered, but gently, "Don't' want your fever goin' up that damn high again," then, lower, he added, "One hundred and _three_—One hundred and _three_. Don't' scare me like that, kid."

I hadn't meant to, and I wanted to tell him that—but—he was being so nice, and he probably would snap at me—and I _was_ still tired, so I let—I let my eyes close, like he said. It made the time pass by faster, anyway—even though it was only a couple of minutes, and he was back, with a tray in his hand, with soup in a bowl, and a spoon. He somehow managed to get over to me before it spilt—he even sat it down on my lap—it was hot, sure, but pleasant, because I hadn't realized it—but I was _cold_.

"Eat, only small bites." He sat roughly in the chair again, watching me.

I could barely sit up enough to pick up the spoon—but I did, and I brought it to my mouth—I didn't even ask what soup it was—chicken and dumplings, I guessed, because that was his favorite. And I was right, because I recognized the flavor. The broth hit my stomach a second later and—I was happy that I didn't need to throw it up immediately.

"Don't eat too fast." He warned again, "Don't want you puking all over my bed—" he looked like he wanted to add something on to that, but the words left him—and probably, probably that was a good thing.

If he said _'because I just washed them' _then—then I might think of—

My stomach churned slightly, and he noticed the look on my face, "Bathroom?" and a split second and—the tray was gone—and he was helping me up.

I staggered to the bathroom on my own, though, in a familiar scene I remembered happening earlier—earlier this week. Me getting sick in the bathroom and—Cross literally _did _make me sick. I wanted to laugh—but it came out as a gagged wheeze.

"You ain't dyin' in there, are ya?" He was watching me from the bathroom door, leaning against it—_guilty, guilty—_"I really hope not—I'd—" then he surprised me. Again—not with actions, but with _words_, "—shit that boy was right." At first that was muttered, along with, "Maybe I should've given 'im more than a black eye," but—_'what's he talking about'—_he laughed at my confused expression, even though now laughing wouldn't be good—it wouldn't make _sense_—"Hell—you remind me of your mother."

I blinked.

Wait.

'_What?' _

"M-Mo…ther?"

"No," he laughed again, sounding a bit more insane, "She _isn't_ dead, damnit all. She's still alive and kickin', and scotch free." He exhaled, trying to calm his laughter, "And you remind me of her."

And I felt sick.

For an entirely different reason.

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**Tra-la-la-la-la, and like I said--I got this chapter done early again XD (at 12:30AM in the morning). I really hadn't meant for the whole Cross scene at the end to turn out like it did (actually it was originally in his POV, but I didn't like it, thus it changed)—but…then again, he's a bit out of control at the moment, so I write what comes, and that's what came. Also—the police station scene might not make much sense now (well—I hope it does, but I don't think so), because it turned out absolutely nothing like I planned. But we'll just see how it goes. Yes. That's exactly what we'll do.**

**As always, Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via Review!**

**-Till the next Chapter (which is finished…ahead of time…again -laughs- and I'll give fair warning that it's been taken over by the Noah's -because it _has_, and may be uploaded early again, if I get annoyed with having it stare at me -after it's edited of course-) **

**-Harmony283 **


	23. Noah's Hint: Road & Devit

**Chapter double-two (22), and...this might seem like a late(r) update than normal, but technically...technically it's really REALLY late (by when it was actually written, which was when chapter 20 was uploaded), and way early (if you choose to use review count as what to go by), but of course, I get annoyed after a while of staring at something too long, thus here's an update. Basically this chapter (as well as half of the next) deal with Road, and what happens with her after Allen gets sent home from school. Then it switches to Devit's POV, just give a bit of an...interesting _twist_ on the chapter. Oh, this is mostly here as a 'setting up' chapter (for what happens at the end of the next chapter, which is highly important)  
**

**Note: If you haven't noticed from the description—the Noah's have taken over this chapter XD They're extremely fun to write (especially Devit) so yeah—this chapter was amusing. Um, but there also might be one disturbing scene in the beginning (as well as a...scene at the end, but that has to do with the pairing), so be forewarned about that. Forgive me, though, but it was rediculously late (apparently) when I wrote this, thus...I had to find a way to amuse myself. And playing around with pairings just so happened to be it. I don't necessarily mean anything solid by it just--just--yeah.  
**

**Note 2: -thinks this is kinda pointless buuut- I made another DGM AMV (Rhode X Allen this time) -is very very proud of it- in case anyone cares to know~  
**

**Huge thanks to Anime-Mastah and NaussicaVOW for reviewing the last chapter! (or...for realizing it was out...after a week? What the heeeeck -whacks FF- is it not sending alerts again? o.o)  
**

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**Road's POV**

"I swear I didn't—I didn't _mean_ to hit her!" The man's voice was shaking—poor thing. "I swear—I swear!" The man repeated, like he thought it would do him any good.

'_But it won't,'_ I looked down at the notebook—green, with fresh pages, and new ink—_'Papa doesn't take that into account, after all.' _

I picked up the quill: _'He's my brother.' _I wrote, gently, scrawling, _'I used the words he told me not to use.' _

"I said—I said—" something screeched, a chair against linoleum flooring—"You believe me right?"

But papa didn't say a word, and I just continued to write—_'I lied and said I'd use that sentence—write a great American novel like he said I would. But I knew he didn't hear me. He was asleep now, too, behind me. He, He, he—and then there was a knock at the door.' _

I heard more scraping, and a nurse, hissing something under her breath that I couldn't hear.

I skipped a line, and continued—

'_I'll never get twins.' Was the first words out of her mouth, as she saw me, and looked past me, at my brother, lying there on the now-black sheets, 'You two spend so much _time_ together—it's almost like you're—' I didn't let her finish, of course. Why should I? 'He's sleeping.' I said, looking back at him too, 'What is it? Dinner?' She nodded her head in a feminine way, 'Okay, I'll wake him up. You can go now.' She hesitated, but sighed, and nodded again, 'You two will end up dying together, won't you?' _

This time something fell—shattered—probably glass—"Papa's having too much fun." But I had heart enough to grimace. Because I knew—Papa was here, because he was and that wasn't necessarily _good_ but not bad either, and—

I dipped my pen in the old fashioned ink again, skipping yet another line—white and barely green—before scrawling continuing words. _'Yeah, we might' I agreed watching her shocked, but accepted expression, 'We'll live together too. Just us.' She let out a sigh, 'You're the only one that understands him, right?' I nodded my head, 'He gives you inspiration, doesn't he?' I nodded my head again, cutting her off before she could take a breath, 'And no one can live without their inspiration.' _

"H-Her name was _Feral_ okay? I-I only saw her once—I think—I think it was in the apartment complex I lived in, okay?" The man's voice was shaking, heavily—labored breathing.

Something else broke.

"Okay? Okay, so maybe—maybe I talked with her a bit, and her brother—it's just them, you know. Her and Reid. They're supposed to be the same age, but she _looks_ a little younger, y'know? It's creepy, right?" more nervousness, more panting breathing and another nurse cussing quietly under her breath, "Okay—so—so I fixed something for free—is that so wrong? Then I—then the kid—I saw the k-kid—Reid—Reid—"

"Knock him out." The first intelligible words of the evening, from someone not driven half insane by blood and accidents—and things that happened.

"But you don't _get_ it." The man moaned, "the kid—Reid—Reid—he—the mirror—I had to replace their mirror for them, because it _broke_ because I had to move it—and I took the blame for that t-too! Don't you—get it?" his voice was becoming so faint, so very faint, and I tucked my legs closer on the small waiting bench. The sterile white tiles—they were white, and friendly—white, white, white—

"But he broke it—with his hand—let him, let him show you his hand—he should still have a bandage." His breath was fading to a whisper, whisper in the white silence, "His right hand—his right hand—the girl bandaged it for him, and she—she blamed it on me—I didn't do it, I swear! I was working on the railing—putting in a new railing, on their porch because, because—"

His words abruptly died.

And the silence wasn't so white anymore. It was grey, tinged—I felt a scream rise to my throat, but I swallowed it.

A second later, and the door opened. Papa came out—jacket hanging off his shoulder, I could tell it was stained. Stained, stained.

"He should be calm now." He insisted, more to himself, before his eyes found mine, "Road darling—you didn't have to wait for me so close." He was worried—I could see it.

"I'm fine Papa." And I was, because I still had my light. Right here, right here. I untucked my legs, let my shoes hit the floor, and I closed my book—taking the quill and breaking it—why should I keep such a horrible thing?

'_I'm not a writer after all.' _He looked concerned though, when I stood.

"What did you write?" he asked, and barely after the question was new—and another sound came to our ears.

In the white silence and—a bed. The mobile ones, which were used in emergencies and—and—it was coming our way.

I grabbed the ink, but it refused to be touched by me. Ink was finicky, after all. It chose its writer—its own quill—faster, changing faster, than anything. Because it stopped, and it spilt all over the tiles—staining the whiteness black.

"I heard he had an attack." The nurse—a fresh, non cursing one, panted, "Is he?"

"I'm afraid I don't know." Papa responded, coldly, "I was only in for a second, you see. To visit—because the accident." He glanced at me, I refused to glance back, and the nurse looked oh so very confused.

"I-I see." The nurse replied a second later, carefully stepping over the ink spill, and reaching out for the doorknob.

"Though I wouldn't go in there just yet." Papa stopped her, of course, "I think he reacted badly to me—and they're trying to calm him before he's moved." His eyes half lidded, "That seems to be the most logical, yes? Calm them or else they'll be injured further?"

She swallowed, nervously, at that, but retracted her hand all the same, instead, looking at the ink staining the floor, "I'll clean that up." And she hurried away, back down the hall, disappearing around a corner, and then—and then—and then—

"Let's make ourselves scarce for the time being." Papa nodded his head towards the door again, saying loudly, "We're leaving. Indiscreetly."

"Take the fire exit." A voice on the other side replied back, "I think it might still be unlocked."

"If it isn't then it _will _be." Papa grumbled not very nicely at the door before turning to me, "Well, shall we be going?"

-------(**Devit's POV o.o)-------**

I. was. Bored.

'_Why the fuck do I have to keep watch again?' _I glanced down at Jasdero, head buried in my lap, snoozing, _'Right. That's why. Lazy.' _I sighed.

So. Extremely. _Bored_.

'_They can't be much longer, can they?' _I looked towards the hospital—big, white, building thing I had just learned the name to, or remembered, it maybe—no signs of movement. _'Sheryl an' his sadistic ways.' _Not that I didn't have any, but it was fun—to place the blame.

So. So. Bored.

I resisted the urge to bash my head against the window. It'd wake Jasdero and—he had trouble sleeping _anyway_—didn't want t'scare the shit outta him by accidentally drawing my own blood. But—

'_Would he feel it?' _not a very nice thought, _'We're twins.' _

That usually explained everything.

I sighed.

Except boredom. The reason I was bored—now.

'_I almost wish he was up.' _I glanced back down at my 'twin', running my fingers through his hair—something he hardly let _anyone_ do, even me—and brushing out of his eyes, _'That way if anything happens I can blame him.' _

The gullible, gullible other side of me.

I turned back to the window—_'Really, he usually doesn't take this long to torture people.' _Wait, _'Visit—I mean _visit_.' _Mental correction. Right. I let out another sigh, _'What was the guy's name again? Started with an H-' _I smirked, _'Like Hentai—wait.' _

I really wanted to bash my head against the window. Looking at blood was much more interesting.

Suddenly Jasdero tugged at the base of my jacket, shifting, violently—and nearly making me lurch forward when _he_ nearly fell off the seat—

"What the _crap_?" he was whimpering in his sleep again, which soon meant tears—which soon meant, "Remember how the hell long it took this morning to put that damn stuff on!" I wasn't loud enough for anyone other than him to hear me—_'Not that anyone important'd be at the hospital.' _

Hospitals were crappy where people went to die.

"If you start fuckin' _cryin'_ and getting your eyeliner—mascara—crap on me—" I warned, even though I knew he was asleep, not even half awake and—

"Good lord I leave you for two seconds and look what happens?" I jolted when I heard Sheryl's voice—that damn girly man—_'Tyki's much better'_—_'So's Road,'_ when I noticed her in tow, with the green little notebook she'd brought in.

"He sleeping?" she asked, sliding in next to me.

I shrugged and poked him roughly on the face, "Whaddazit look like?"

She looked at him for only a split second before saying, "Looks like he's having a nightmare! How fun!"

But she didn't sound like she meant it.

Not that she _ever_ meant it—

She gave me a look, and fastened her seat belt.

Wait.

"Why're you sitting in the back with us?"

She blinked and shrugged; "Felt like it."

"We're waitin' for someone else?" I felt Jasdero shift again, nuzzle into my thigh—something Road would've laughed at—usually.

"Maybe."

"Who?"

"I said _maybe_." She kicked the driver's side and Sheryl immediately looked at her in the rear view mirror, "Papa who're we waiting for again?"

"Yeah, who?" I asked immediately afterwards, "Because whoever the fuck it is—they'd better hurry the fuck up!"

"And _why_ would they have to hurry?" I saw his eye twitch—but he didn't scare me.

"Because Jasdero's havin' a nightmare."

"You care that he has one?"

I glanced down at my blond half, lying in my lap, "Not really—but he's cryin' and shit—and it's getting everywhere." He blinked, "His mascara—eyeliner. We need t'clean him up to look presentable. _He's_ coming back today, right?" After being gone for two days—only.

I brushed another strand away from his eyes—before it could get stuck there to the icky black goop it turned into.

"So you want _whoever it is_ to hurry up so you can go home and take a shower?" Sheryl asked, sounding amused, "Together, I assume?"

I shrugged and popped my neck, "Why should we take one alone? He's scared of it anyway."

"If you keep that up you'll sound like you're in an _improper_ relationship."

I blinked, blandly, at him.

And Road actually laughed this time, "Papa's right! I mean—you hug and kiss in public too!"

"Because people watch." I snapped back, "And he hates people—but—"They were both very, very amused now, I noticed, and suddenly I felt very, very awkward, "there's nothing there." Funny how I could feel that way around my own family members, but—but not around people I didn't even the hell know.

This made Road laugh harder, "That's the _worst_ reason ever—to act like you're gay!"

She said that out loud.

But of course, Sheryl knew better than to correct her, "Well I never said I _wasn't_. It's practice. Besides—we've lived here a few months, and we _always_ hang around town. They'll get used to it."

"Of course they will." She rolled her eyes and turned her head away, to look out the window, "We've only _been_ here for a few months. If you scare so many people away—how the heck will you find a _normal_ boyfriend?"

"Oh I will."

"Oh, you won't."

"Yeah too—"

"Nuh-uh," I saw her stick her tongue out—I did the same—"Well then—who'd it be?"

I turned away from her, "How should I know? We've only been here a few months."

"_Like_," she corrected herself, "Y'know—would they be like Jasdero except for the incest-iness, or?" she tilted her head—

"Or? I don't know that many people."

"How about Lavi?"

I blinked.

Sheryl made some sort of choking noise, "He's t-taken isn't he?"

"If being used as Tyki's plaything—" she cut herself off and shook her head, "I said _Like_ anyway—papa. Would you _like_ someone who wouldn't mind you screwing around with them." Sheryl shot her a look and she shrugged, "Not _that_ kind of screwing—Papa, I'm not _that_ vulgar."

"Yet you slept in the same bed as your boyfriend." He coughed out, "Who so happened to be _sick_ apparently—are you sure you aren't running a fever?"

"Now isn't the time to be _having_ this conversation—papa." She spat back, turning to the window again, "Besides—Allen wasn't _sick_ then." I saw her reflection, and I more than heard it in her voice—she didn't believe it.

"If you say so." And Sheryl somehow completely _missed_ that.

And she noticed me staring.

I opened my mouth—and-and-and—

"Oh look who it is!" Sheryl stated, overly enthusiastically to the cringing point, "Veronica dear!" he waved out the window.

And soon a mass of red hair and curves was literally—literally flying towards us, dodging cars pulling out of the parking lot—her furry scarf around her neck, and her shirt—no paint splotches this time, but it said something vulgar—

"Finding yourself again?" Sheryl asked when she got closer.

She just panted and laughed, "Possibly."

"And you wear _that_ kind of shirt outside a hospital?" I couldn't help but jab.

She glanced at me, then Jasdero, then Road, before slipping into the front seat, "Yes, well, at least I'm not flaunting around with shorts on that looks like I don't wear underwear underneath."

"Wearin' a thong," I did a lazy thumbs up, feeling Jasdero twitch, and roll, face up now.

"And I _don't _think I needed to know that." But she was laughing as she said it—

But Road didn't laugh. Smirk, a little, yeah. But not laugh.

That's when I guessed it—I suppose—I _supposed_—

That she really—and Allen really—I cast her a glance which she returned briefly—

Worried.

Girls were so easy to read when they were worried.

'_And it's so damn awkward.' _

A sleepy sigh—then yelp—and—

"I fell asleep?!" Jasdero bolted up—whacking his head on the low ceiling of the car, a moment later, cradling said head in his arms—

"Yeah you did." I answered for him and—

"Fell asleep on you?" he sounded like he was in pain.

I pulled his arms away, and kissed his forehead, "Yup."

Veronica snorted, and Road turned away—but I saw another smirk reflected in the window.

'_Now it's not so boring, at least.' _

And Jasdero continued to cradle his head after the kiss—mumbling a quiet 'sorry, sorry'

As we drove off—towards home, I guessed—

'_Because Sheryl wouldn't—drive us to a damn pit somewhere.' _No he wouldn't—though we _had_ been on some freaky family vacations.

'_And they weren't boring.' _

Never ever boring

**-------(A few hours later, roughly 11PM at night)-------**

"A hotel?" I glanced back at Sheryl, who was taking a large suitcase out of the back of the trunk—one I hadn't even _realized_ was there.

But then, why the fuck did _I_ care what he packed in the damn trunk of his?

"Yes," he answered me, after moving the suitcase onto that fancy little…roll-cart thing, "A four _star_ hotel—thank you for trying to clean up before hand." He meant Jasdero's make up—thank the lord Veronica loved make up.

"I still don't get why you two love that stuff, but," I noticed then that she had a bag too—nowhere near as large—probably big enough for makeup, a change of clothes, and a toothbrush—slung over her shoulder, "it looks good on you." She smiled casually at us, before stepping up on the sidewalk and placing said bag on top of Sheryl's suit case, then, she turned to him and asked, "Where're our rooms?"

He fiddled around in his pocket for a moment, before producing two card keys, "you and Road have to share a suite, and we," he grimaced as he glanced at Jasdero and I, "are sharing another, right next door."

"Sweet!" she snatched the card-key from him and smiled, "Can't wait to see what it looks like!"

And that still—for some reason—was outrageously funny. To me, anyway—"You're such a kid!"

"And you're _still_ a kid." She snapped back, "Sheryl dear, give 'em the card-key, you've got someone to talk to, right?"

Sheryl nearly flinched at that, and, casting a hesitant glance at the key, he forked it over. To me, of course—Jasdero probably didn't know what the hell the thing _did_. "Our rooms are on the third floor. Take the elevator. Should be the last rooms on the hall."

And just like that—Veronica was off—disappearing through the revolving doors, into the lobby and straight to the elevators—_'assuming she knows where they are' _which, she was lucky that way. Hardly got lost, _'Except in a parking lot'_ I felt my lips twitch.

"You two go on." Sheryl shooed us when we didn't immediately follow, "And Road, stay here. I want you to speak with this…person too."

Road hadn't even gotten out of the car yet—well, she had swung her _feet_ out but—

"You two, _go_."

And Jasdero was nearly to the revolving doors as well. Yawning, then halting the movement, and pushing on the door. He went around about three times, before I joined him, and helped push him through to the lobby.

It was cute—but—

The way he looked at me, he looked _hurt_.

'_He looked like that the entire ride here.' _Somewhere in the back of my mind I contemplated this. But I knew it had to be the dream—whatever the dream was. He hated them—_**'Don't speak in a dream—it's bad luck!'**_**—**he always said.

We made our way through the lobby, and somehow managed to catch up with Veronica, who was holding the door open and talking to one of the maids—who was holding a huge stack of towels.

"Yup, we're staying here for, I think, two nights. Not exactly sure." She explained with a smile, waving to the both of us when she saw us, "Oh—and that's Devit," she pointed to me, "And Jasdero, they're my cousins."

The woman smiled pleasantly, but I could tell nearly immediately that she didn't like us.

"My…adoptive brother's outside still." She was talking like she knew the woman—which made her somehow relaxed but—

One floor.

Two floor.

The woman was explaining her work hours—and something about loud shouting, last night, from one of the rooms—

Third floor—

The woman stayed on, but we hightailed it off. Veronica, of course, waved good bye—but once the doors closed, she took off.

"Follow me!" she said, even though I could see the numbers clearly.

But I followed her anyway—

"If I don't like our suite we have to change." She insisted when we reached our respective rooms.

She opened hers, and disappeared in.

I opened ours, and held it open for Jasdero.

"Amazing!" I heard Veronica coo before the door—due to the force of gravity, and her having boots, and kicking it—slammed shut.

Jasdero immediately went to one of the two adjoining rooms—from the living room.

I immediately went to the couch. Or tried to—but he kept the door open and—"We don't' have a change of clothes, remember?" He halted stripping his shirt off, but only for a second—looking over his shoulder at me, before shrugging, and continuing to remove the articles—"You taking a shower?" I asked again, when he was completely naked, switching on the TV at the same time.

Weather Channel. Boring.

'_Wonder if they have anime on there.' _

I flicked, aimlessly through the channels—even though the guide was _right there_—on top, but I didn't wanna grab it—

And then I heard the bath water running.

And then Jasdero was in front of me—with a towel on, looking sheepish and embarrassed—and _sad_.

I peered around him, "What?"

Soap Opera's –_'Seen too many' _

Another Gory movie—_'If I want Jasdero to sleep, no' _

I flicked the channel again—and had Jasdero's hand cover mine. I glanced at him, "You want…bath too?" I only heard a few words in his mumbled sentence. He still looked sad.

"Well I _was_ watching television." I jerked my hand away from his, motioning to the TV in the same motion. He glanced back at it—

"Animal Planet?" He didn't sound like he believed me, "Bathing's more important."

I rolled my eyes, "Why can't you take one yourself? Then if I want to I'll take one."

"But—"

"I like taking showers in the morning anyway." I reminded him, "You know that."

"Please?" he was sitting down next to me, and had tried to grab the remote again.

"Why the fuck should I?" Now I was irritated—because I really _didn't_ want to take a shower now and—_'Poisonous Frogs—cool!' _

Not that I'd say that out loud.

"Because." I glanced at him—he knew by now that wasn't a good enough answer—"of what you said."

"I said?"

In the back of my mind I knew he meant the car but—_'I want a poisonous frog'_

"In the car." A second later and—somehow—somehow—_'Stupid poisonous frogs'—_

"If you two are going to have a sex orgy in the living room then could you at _least_ wait till I'm asleep?"

He jolted up immediately—catching his towel before it felt—and I—I immediately flicked off the TV—for whatever the hell reason.

Sheryl was in the doorway, looking a bit peeved.

"Weren't you supposed to meet someone?" I asked, feeling my voice crack, and clearing it.

"At midnight." He responded back, without looking at me, "She said she'd call back at midnight." He cast us both a glance—lingering on Jasdero, "I hear water running. If you're going to use it and _not_ make us have to pay for water damage then I _suggest_ you take your little—thing—and go."

He was angry. About something.

"Jasdero was." I nodded to the guy in the towel and the loose blond hair, "not my fault."

"Well go with him."

And then he slammed his door.

And then—and then—

Jasdero didn't miss a beat. "See? Come with me—take a bath." He shifted, almost embarrassed, "You don't mind it, remember?"

I hesitated before I answered—_'Why?'_—"No I don't." I shrugged, shifting on the couch, "But I was—"

"It's off now. It's late." He grabbed my free hand, "Please?" And he really looked like he was _saying_ please—not just his voice, and his eyes.

"If I say 'fine' will you tell me why you're being persistent?"

He nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Fine then," he half dragged, and I half forced myself from the couch—though, he won, and dragged me to our apparent room before I could utter another word—

Then—then—

He slammed the door too, locking it.

"What the crap?" I turned to look at him—"What was _that_--?"

He leaned up—nose almost touching mine—

'_What?' _when we—in public—he never—_'What?' _

"Do you like Lavi?"

Was all he said.

Wait.

_Wh—_

And then—and then—

He kissed me.

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**Um, yeah, abrupt ending, that won't get explained (not immediately anyway), but it just felt like it needed to end there, so it did. Also, I somehow managed to get myself to like Devit (writing him, I mean). Not…sure…how but—like I said, two disturbing/awkward scenes, both are important in their own way (the guy Sheryl was visiting was Hal—the guy who hit Feral in the accident, for those who didn't get the clues). Not sure where the heck the 'Do you Like Lavi' thing came from—but it was almost 2AM when I wrote that—so in the end it's probably a false argument (for the sake of argumentation and jealousy purposes arising in the next chapter)—bear with me please. **

**As always questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review!  
**

**Till the next chapter (Which yes, I've got the **_**next **_**2 done) **

**Harmony283**


	24. Noah's Hint: Sheryl

**Chapter 23 and…I actually feel accomplished. Why? Because for the first time in—like—a **_**year**_** (almost—I've still got a couple of months) I actually sat down and read some DGM fanfiction. Boy was that a motivation booster XD So yeah—this has some Lavi X Kanda in it, not a lot, but enough. Can't help but think I rushed it a bit but...there's a reason fro that, sooo....Err, also has an interesting scene with Sheryl and the mysterious person **_**he's**_** supposed to meet up with, which should answer a few questions of why the heck they're at the hotel in the first place (along with interesting elevator guests). **

**Note: The timing in this chapter is severely screwed up. Maybe because I started Sheryl's POV first (rewrote it three times), then switched to **_**Lavi's**_**, thought it would be better at the bottom, but then moved it again—and added in a Kanda blurb POV in there—but…needless to say this chapter seems really odd. Ah, well, I liked it anyway so there XD **

**Anon reviews: **

**Brizu: **Ahaha, I think when I was writing it, the whole point _was_ for it to be interesting (since both of them _did_ say—or at least Devit did—that they were just doing it to get attention/practice). In the end I most likely won't do anything with it, so don't worry. Ahaha you're on spring break now? I am too! (and the only thing I'll be busy with is…trying not to get too ahead in this fanfic –actually started another one, just so she could _foooocus_ on it-) Tis fine, as I've said I prefer long reviews over short ones, but if there really isn't something you can think of saying then yes, "great chapter" (and maybe pointing out a line you liked, or something, since that's always good, and may jog your memory –does that a ton if she forgets what she's going to say-) is fine by me. And of course, thanks so much for the review! –hugs-

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**(Lavi's POV)  
**

I exhaled loudly, shivering for a second before watching Kanda, every movement apprehensive—like he half expected me to start yelling. Or like _he_ wanted to yell at me.

'_Maybe it wasn't a good idea to send Komui home.'_ But then, apparently—from his words, not mine—Allen had gotten sick and Lenalee was a wreck. A worried wreck. He needed to be with family now, not friends. Not his sister's friends—all the same.

'_Not to mention Cross apparently picked him up.'_ That worried me, and I touched my eye—it still felt sore, and it was still bruised, and probably would be for a while but—_'He could've done worse.' _I didn't want to think of that though—that wouldn't do _anyone_ any good—

I jolted back when I felt something cold being tossed into my hands. Looking up, Kanda was in front of the fridge, with the freezer door open, shifting through the contents like he expected to throw half of them out.

But all the same, he muttered, "Ice pack." Under his breath, then, "For your eye." He didn't ask who did it—but then—but then I didn't want him to.

Now wasn't the time for him to feel _sorry_ for—well, especially me. But I smiled, anyway, because it was better than the silence of practically the entire week, "Thanks," I walked over to one of the stools, holding the ice pack gently up to the side of my face, "Don't want it't swell—I'd prob'ly look like an alien."

"Probably." I wasn't sure he even heard what I said—_'But at least he's talking_', which was a good thing; "Did they ask?"

I blinked, and placed the icepack on the bar, "Who?"

"Your," he paused, not glancing back at me, but trying to find the word, "Those people."

'_Livvy and Polar?' _But I knew better than to call them by name here, "Oh—at the police station?" He nodded, "well—no."

He shifted through the frozen contents a little faster this time, fishing out things that, to him, looked old and frostbitten. He didn't ask _why_ but I felt it on his lips—in the air, because it was the natural question to ask afterward—_why _didn't someone care? Was it for the same reasons? Did they try to push people away? Or was it literal?

Literal, literal.

I held the icepack up to my eye again, "They're—this sounds bad, but I guess I got hurt a lot when I went to go visit 'em." He stopped sifting through the contents, and turned, slightly, to face me. I smiled, "Over the summer—I'd go over the summer, y'know, how I'd disappear two weeks in?" He nodded, just barely, "Well I'd go visit them, and they aren't exactly the safest people in the world."

he raised an elegant eyebrow at this, before forking out even more frozen dinners from the depths of the icebox. I probably didn't need to explain anymore than that—he probably came up with his own conclusions in his head—_'if he cares that much' _which he _had_ to, at least on some level to actually be asking about it—and that was just fine by me. It was awkward and complicated anyway—

'_Considering I always said I went to go visit family.' _Though they were nearly _like_ family—_'A really, really deranged one.' _I felt my lips twitch but I refused to smile. He was looking at me again, slightly irritated.

Like I had missed something he said.

"Wh-what?"

He turned his gaze away for a moment, muttering, "Not important." Before actually pulling _out_ some of the frozen dinners and—chucking them in the trash can. But then almost immediately afterward, he stuck his hands back in—

"Your hand's'll go numb if y'keep doing that." I pointed out, placing the icepack on the counter, blinking my eye experimentally. It at least _felt_…well…numb. So it didn't hurt.

"So?" He shot me a look, "Some of these are—over six months." He continued sifting through the contents, "They need to be thrown out—after six months."

"Really?" like I hadn't already known that, "Well I did kinda just chuck everything that's mine at home here—so…that doesn't surprise me." I tried to laugh, but he didn't look enough in the mood for laughing.

And for a moment only the opening and closing of the trashcan lid filled the room. It was unnerving, mostly, because by _now_ he had to know that I knew that _he_ was doing it on purpose. To keep his hands busy—because—who knew what his hands would do if they weren't busy?

'_He had tried to comfort me before, with them.' _Back on Monday—back at Tyki's place--_'I'll probably have to call him soon.'_ Because it wasn't a secret that he knew we'd go today—he had even, probably, taken notes for Yuu in the class they had together—_'Not that I'd see 'im doin' that anyway.' _

Finally Kanda stopped the motion, shutting the freezer door finally, before turning and leaning against the fridge—arms crossed. Staring at me. "You talked to Tiedoll." I hadn't expected him to speak just yet but—

"Yeah," I shrugged.

"How…" he paused the words, almost like he was embarrassed to ask.

"He's fine. Don't remember seeing Marie—but they're both in town." I cocked my head ever so slightly to the side, "Do y'wanna see 'em? I mean—I'm sure they'd be ecstatic if you called."

He glowered at me.

I laughed, "Or should I do the calling?"

"You don't have to call them."

"But you want to talk to them." He opened his mouth to retort but—then—closed it. I grinned, leaning farther over the counter, "See? S_ee_?"

He looked peeved for all of two seconds before he turned his head to the side, muttering an indignant 'che' and a, "Can't you answer that for yourself?"

"I can't if Yuu-chan doesn't say I'm right or wrong." I hummed, keeping my grin.

"It's—neither." He cast a glance at me, only to rip it away, "Just—they're. They're in town."

"Yup—I'd assume to see you, or talk with Komui or something." His eyes cast to me again, "He knows everyone—remember?"

He didn't say anything to that, so I continued talking, "So of course—Komui called 'em because _obviously_ he let slip that something happened, and they wanted to know what—but you were still half asleep, so they asked—err, _Tiedoll_ asked—to speak with me."

"And what did you say?"

My eyebrow raised at that, "How could I say anythin' when _you_ don't say anythin'? Or weren't you listening?"

He thought that over for a second, "But that was to something else."

"It applies to 'now' too." I corrected, "I can't say anything because I don't know if I'm right or wrong—because _Yuu_-chan hasn't opened his mouth and _said_ anything."

"And I should tell you when you won't tell me—" he halted that sentence—dropped it like it scalded him.

"When I won't tell you what?" I wondered anyway, and I knew I probably would've gotten hit again, had I not already suffered a black eye, possible concussion, and an arm wound already.

"Nothing." Or at least—that's what he tried to say.

"Tell, you, _what_?" I nearly sang out. Even though I knew he probably wouldn't—_'There's no way he could guess, so,' _–"Are you worried? Is that why you're asking? I'm _touched_."

He rolled his eyes at this, "I show up—you have a wound on your arm that requires stitches _then_ you're an idiot and—hit your head—" his face contorted a bit at this, like he was trying not to blame it on himself but was anyway—"and then you get a black eye. What the fuck am I _supposed_ to think? Be?"

"Well I dunno," I straightened my shoulders.

"You didn't have the black eye before you left." He pointed out, "I was—awake enough to see that."

"So you were staring at me?"

And I had to ask myself whether I should've been happy about that or not—happy that he was, well, _staring_ at me, or worried that he was becoming—more aware?

Either way, he was embarrassed, but in that Kanda-ish way of his, that was hard to catch, and only lasted for a few seconds coupled with another "Che" sound effect and a rather loud, "No—I was—you were in my line of vision."

"Stuttering?"

He composed himself enough to glare at me, "_No_. Dammit—why the _hell _am I…?" He trailed that sentence off too, finishing the rest, assumedly, in his mind, "I just—how did it happen?"

"What?" Pretending to be ignorant had its uses. One of which was to annoy people enough to give _visual_ clues—for Kanda, meaning, him walking forward and reaching out—almost touching my eye—but with the bar still between us.

"That. Tiedoll wouldn't have—and Marie—"

"I don't doubt he could hit if he tried," No weakness for his blindness there, "But no—it wasn't either of them."

"Then who?"

"If I said I tripped you wouldn't believe me, would you?" He raised an eyebrow again, debating, then, letting his hand fall—or—at least—trying. I grabbed it before he could pull it back enough.

Now we were holding hands across a table—bar—thing. How romantic.

I let out a snort, "Well—okay—you definitely wouldn't." He didn't try to pull his hand away, but his arm was stiff, "But—I did, sort of."

"Someone had to punch you." He replied dully.

And of course he'd know that—_he_ was more prone to whacking someone—someone being white haired boys affectionately, or not so much, called 'beansprout'—upside the head. That included giving them black eyes.

"Someone did." I relented, and this—this made him lean in closer.

He didn't ask who though. And I wasn't about to tell, "And that's all you're going to get." I added for emphasis, this time dropping his hand—and—this time—pulling _mine_ back—

But.

He didn't let me.

And I tensed, almost all the way up—and—I saw it there—_worry, worry_—

Fuck.

But he dropped my hand two seconds later, backing away, and turning around again. He opened the trashcan lid, and proceeded to take the garbage bag _out_, and tie it up—it was full, anyway.

"I'm taking this down." He muttered, not even casting me a glance as he headed to the door.

All I could do was sit there—and it was only when the door slammed—

That I knew that probably was a _bad_ idea.

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**(Kanda's POV) **

Pathetic. That's what it was.

'_Trash? Since _when_ the fuck did I take out the damn trash—didn't it already go today?' _The dumpster was still there, though, I could just toss it in easy, no problem.

'_But. Trash.' _

My grand excuse to get the fuck out—

Taking out the trash.

'_Chores can be useful.' _I forgo-ed the elevator, and turned to the fire-exit. _'I need more exercise anyway.' _I told myself—but dammit it was an _excuse_—

Because it would take longer. The stairs. Three flights, to a side door—then I'd have to go_ around_ to the front, then back again.

At midnight.

Or almost midnight.

More like eleven thirty at night—from what the overhead clock read, when I first entered the stairwell—

'_I'd better hurry.' _Not that I had classes on Saturday, or on Sunday. But still—the stairwell wasn't used often—_'I don't think the doors locked.' _

Or it might be, from the outside—but—_'The front doors aren't ever locked.' _How could they be? In case for emergencies.

'_She'd let me in anyway.'_ A bonus for getting a flat in a building owned by a family friend, _'Why the fuck she agreed to let me have a damn roommate—' _

Because _Lavi_ was the main issue. Not me.

Him and his grinning face—red hair—smiling—banging on the doors to be let in and—

I let out a sigh, hurrying down the stairs—_'Ignore the echo'_ I told myself. Had to. But I concentrated too much on it anyway.

I jumped down the last few stairs, landed—with a thud—and then reached out to the door. Thankfully the light was still on.

'_Not that I'm scared of the dark.' _

But still. It _was_ eleven thirty at night. No time to be taking out the damn _trash_.

I pushed on the door—it relented, easily enough—and stepped through, onto the pavement, hurrying around the side of the building until I saw the big green dumpster a little off to the side of the parking lot. I hurried over to it—shivering, because _dammit_ it got cold fast—_'Why didn't I bring a jacket?' _

But then—I didn't plan to be out long. And—after I threw the bag, messily, in—and whipped back around—I knew I wouldn't be.

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**(Lavi's POV) **

I'm being paranoid.

I kept glancing at the door—glancing, looking at the clock, glancing again.

Until the door opened.

Nearly fifteen minutes later.

I relaxed slightly, in my chair, when I saw the familiar face—

'_I really _am_ paranoid.' _Didn't need to let him know that, though, as he stepped through, shivering slightly.

But he looked—just as paranoid as me.

"That took a while." I commented offhandedly, making him jump—or, well, tense—but—"Woah, woah, don't be all jumpy." I laughed out, and he cast me glare, "Didn't you take the elevator?"

He didn't answer, for a moment—grabbing the soft jacket he usually had hanging up on a hook by the door, and slipping it on—but then, he uttered, "Stairs."

"Elevator not working?" He shot me a look, "What? It worked when we came in."

"It works." He relented, "I took it back up."

"But why'd you take the stairs then?"

His shoulders—still tense. Everything about him—still tense—

And I had the sudden urge to follow him into his bedroom—_'Thank the—that there aren't any doors in this place.' _Except, of course, for the bathroom. But he didn't head there—and he knew he didn't have much privacy in his room. Had just as much as me.

It was like an open invitation to 'follow'—so—I did just that, sliding off the stool and padding across the floor.

He halted in the doorway, "I'm going to sleep."

"Really?" I halted too—standing right behind him, "But it's still early!"

"For you." He said, a little too coldly.

"Tomorrow's Saturday, remember?" I edged a little closer, haphazardly reaching my hands out, to place—on his shoulders.

He tensed at the movement. But I ignored it, instead, saying, "You don't_ have _to wake up early tomorrow. You didn't today."

"And felt like crap." His shoulders just got that much more rigid.

So I rubbed them, gently, "I can tell." I squeezed them a bit, and—he didn't loosen them, "Want a massage?"

Where the hell _those_ words came from—

He cast me an icy look, "No."

But he didn't move.

And I didn't move my hands.

"I'll take that as a yes?" I said, a moment later—_'Well, he hasn't killed me yet. Good sign'--_grinning at my silent victory.

Said grin nearly split when—he didn't entirely relax, but, he did, slightly, wondering, "You won't let me sleep until I say yes?" I nodded even though he couldn't see the action.

He didn't say a word after that, just—took two more steps, then three—until he was by his bed, sitting on it. I joined him a second later, crawling behind him, before placing my hands, again, on those broad—_'But thin'_, and they were—even more so with my hands on them—shoulders.

Then I began to slowly ease the muscles and—sure—sure he was tense at first. But he let me—_he let me._

I could've cried, but—that'd be creepy. And it'd scare him enough—he'd probably hide in the bathroom till I left—so—so I kept those in—because it _was_ creepy and—

_Ah hell—I'm giving him a shoulder massage. What more can I ask for?'_

Not much—especially from the great, stoic Kanda Yuu.

But it was enough.

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**(Sheryl's POV) **

'_Ignore it. Ignore it.' _I inhaled, then exhaled, before opening the door to my room—the adjoining living area was empty, thankfully, the only misplacements was the slightly dented cushion on the couch Devit had been sitting on, and the remote, lying next to it.

But I could hear the splashing of water in the next room—_'Ignore it, ignore it.' _I repeated, heading towards the door, _'It won't do any good thinking about it—might as well save yourself the trouble to begin with.' _I opened the door as gently as I could and, for a second, debated on whether or not to wake Road. It was close enough to midnight that—if she had a sensible bone _in_ her—she'd be asleep.

Did I really need to wake her for this? I debated that thought only for a moment before turning my heels and walking down the hallway, back to the elevator, _'It's not smart—going alone. But if it's anything important I can repeat it to her ears later.' _

I quickened my pace once I reached the large elevator doors—really…very gaudy things, all silver lanced and—_'Well this is a four star hotel.' _Of course they'd have silly little necessities like that—_'Don't mind 'em in my own home but,' _my nose crinkled as I waited for the elevator to reach my floor—

Curious, though—it was coming from the top floor, not the lobby.

Not that it mattered, of course. I highly doubted she'd be there—right exactly at—

The doors dinged open and—

'_Ah, so that's why it was on the top floor.' _There was a man, and woman—the man, half-asleep on the railing that surrounded the perimeter, with a scarf, gloves, and a hat which seemed to hide bleach blond hair—and the woman hissed rapidly in a foreign language into the mouth piece of her cell-phone. Both looked at me for only half a second—though I barely noticed the woman's, she was wearing sunglasses—_'Indoors?'—_before turning back to their respective activities.

'_Wait—what if they're—_' the thought didn't even get to finish before the doors opened again, on the first floor—to the lobby. Immediately the two piled out—the woman nearly dragging the man, even though he was nearly a head taller than her—and disappeared off, down one of the hallways.

I exhaled, _'Well that takes care of that fear.' _And I took two steps forward, almost jumping when the elevator doors slid shut, roughly, behind me.

If I hadn't turned around then—for whatever reason—towards the snack machines then I wouldn't have seen her. Actually—I didn't know _why_ she was there to begin with—

"Road." She didn't turn when she saw me, instead she kicked the Drink machine—cell phone held up to her ear—

"Road," I repeated, and this time she turned to me, glancing slightly waving then pointing to her phone, and mouthing something I couldn't quite catch. But apparently whoever she had tried to contact picked up because she said—in a voice layered with more worry than I had—I had—_'She's worried­—_

She asked, "Is Allen there? Ah—I mean—is he…?" she trailed off for a moment then, softly, she whispered, "Road—yes, that's my name. He's—th-throwing up? Still?" her face pinched up in worry _that I absolutely did __**not**__ like. _"Did he eat anything?" another pause, "O-Oh…and he threw it up immediately? Okay. I'll—has Lenalee called?" her eyes narrowed slightly at whoever-it-was's response, "I'll tell her myself then."

Then she promptly jerked the phone away from her ear, and stuck her tongue out at it.

That's when I chose to make my presence known, but then, she turned around before I could say a word. Only when her eyes met mine, though, did I speak, "Road—who were you talking to?"

"Who else?" She didn't sound guilty, but she did sound…_bad_, "Allen got really sick—remember? I was just checking up on him."

"At midnight?"

She checked her cell phone, "We've got two minutes."

"Still," I let out a sigh, "And I'm assuming his, ah, _guardian_ answered?" She nodded her head, "And he was sensible enough to tell you to call back in the morning?" She hesitated a little, before nodding her head again, "So should you really be mad?"

"How much did you hear?" Now she sounded a bit guilty.

"Probably all of it," I brushed a strand of hair away from my eyes, correcting my glasses before motioning her towards me, "Now hand it over." She looked shocked—"No buts, I don't want you calling that boy this weekend. As much for your sake as his."

"It'd be better for _my_ sake if you let me _talk_ to him!" she snapped back, and it hurt—it stung to have such harsh words come from _my_ darling daughter's mouth. But she knew. She understood partially—I hoped, at least—why I asked for her cell phone. And, hesitantly, she held it out.

"I'll give it back to you tomorrow if our business here is done." I quickly filched it from her hand and placed it in the pocket of my coat, where I could safely keep tabs on it.

"Of course you will." Now she was pouting.

"If you want to get some sleep, leave now, but if not," I trailed off, staring at the front doors of the building. I saw a car pull up—it's headlights gleaming brightly through the glass double doors—and then there was the distinct smell of gasoline, and…the loud sound of an engine being cut off.

"Not that I don't want to meet her or anything." Road mumbled just as a figure stepped out from the car doorway, "But—oh never mind."

"Never mind?" I glanced down at her, and she shrugged.

"Yup, never mind."

And the glass doors proceeded to be pushed open, and, standing there, looking slightly winded, with a boy in tow, was the woman I had been told to meet by the Earl himself. I felt slightly strange, though, as I extended my arms in welcome, for Road—sweet, hyper Road—stepped _behind_ me. Like—Like—

The woman fixed her dress, and smiled when her eyes found mine, "You must be Sheryl." I nodded my head faintly, feeling Road's hand slightly on the back of my coat sleeve, "I see—terribly sorry to make you wait." She tugged the boy to the forefront—he looked vaguely familiar, but distantly so, with pale hair—almost grey? Or was it _really_ grey?—sunglasses, and a bandana wrapped around his right hand, like an odd bandage—"As you can see, I had to pick someone up first. Poor thing, so tired though."

"We have rooms upstairs." Road piped up, "I-he hasn't gotten any sleep has he?"

"Why—no," the woman glanced lazily down at the boy again, "I don't believe he has—slept well. You see, there was just a tragedy and I was afraid of leaving him alone."

"Then why don't I show him to my room?" Road gripped my shirt sleeve just a little tighter, but let go a second later, stepping in front of me, "That's fine isn't it Papa? I'm really sleepy too."

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," the woman stated before I could get a word out, "I…highly doubt you'll be interested in what we're talking about, anyway." She smiled pleasantly at me, "What do you say?"

"Well I was about to tell you," I spoke to Road directly, who was now trying to coax the boy away from the woman's grip, without outright touching her, "you need sleep. So of course it's fine." She managed to get the boy to step forward enough so she could pull him towards her.

"Really, papa?" She looked back at me now, smiling happily—nowhere _near_ tired, like she had lied, "Okay—see you in the morning." She dragged the boy with her, towards the elevator I had just come out from—the boy stumbling as a result, but never quite _falling_—

"Sweet dreams," I called after her, as she stepped through the open doors. She smiled one last time at me, before the doors closed entirely—and she was gone.

"You're daughter really is quite charming." Instantly I turned my attention back to the foreign woman in front of me, "I can't fathom why she doesn't seem to like me."

"I wouldn't bother with it." I tried to sooth, raising one gloved hand, giving off a friendly smile, "She really was tired—I actually thought she was still in her room."

"Really?" this seemed to amuse her, but I didn't want to know why, "Well goodness knows that _boy_ needs to get some sleep. Especially for someone his age." She exhaled softly, "I know his sister just passed away—in such a horrible way too—but I suppose American's don't understand death the same way we do."

I felt a jab at my pride, but I held it in, "Well _most_ people naturally are traumatized by death."

"Really?" But she didn't sound surprised, "Well, I suppose it shouldn't surprise me."—_'what are you saying? It didn't surprise you.' _But I collectively kept my mouth shut, allowing her to continue with, "It is so different here. I'm so glad I was invited, but it's so much trouble."

"I heard you had a tough time on the way over here." I agreed, "Did you meet with your friend?" She nodded her head faintly, eyes scanning the room, "And did that go as planned?"

"Not particularly." She clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, "He believes me too easily, as always. And,"

I raised an eyebrow, "And?"

"There's another uncertain factor." She closed her eyes slightly, covering her eyes with her hand, tilting her face up to the chandelier hanging above us, "Or rather—his emotions are fickle as always, but they're split in two now."

"Oh?"

She sighed and dropped her hand, "Not that you care about one of the factors. But," she bit her lip slightly, and took two steps towards me, "you're familiar with your brother's acquaintances, right?"

"Well enough." Oh yes—certainly _well_ enough, "You wouldn't happen to be talking about Allen would you?" She looked mildly impressed, and I almost felt the urge to laugh, "Thank you but I really am _not_ that stupid."

"So you know—" she cut the sentence off.

"Watch one, watch all', as the Earl says." I misquoted…sort of.

This seemed to amuse her even more, "Well if you picked up on the importance, then—what are we here for again?" I shrugged my shoulders, and this time she really did laugh—or giggle—"Exactly. I have no idea. Honestly, you Noah's know more than you let on."

"No flattery needed." I held up my left hand this time, bowing my head slightly.

"Oh—it's not flattery," she reached between us and took my gloved hand, "It's called common sense. You certainly have a vast amount of it," I raised my head slightly, looking her in the eye—"Too bad your brother neglects it half the time."

I tried hard not to sound offended, "He's taking things at his own pace."

"And getting involved where he doesn't need to be involved in." Her grip tightened, and chilled to the touch, "He'll get hurt almost as much as your daughter might." Before I could say anything more, she added on, "There's really only one difference between them."

She expected me to _ask_ dammit—so I did. "What would that be?" The words felt thick on my tongue because, quite honestly I _didn't_ want to know—_'but is it why she looked so worried?'—_Not that Road showed worry well, but granted I knew she had the emotion enough when it came to family.

Then she said, in simple terms, "The only difference is—Road knows she's going to get hurt. Tyki, on the other hand, _doesn't_." then she exhaled loudly, dropping her chilling touch from my hand, "I really have no idea why you won't tell him—anything other than 'Watch'."

"He's doing a fairly good job of it." I managed out, trying hard _not _to sound choked.

"Yes but—you have to have rules when you watch someone. And he's neglected every single one he's supposed to have." Her eyes steadily bore into my own, "Maybe because you know him better than I ever will, all things considering, but you should warn him _not_ to show interest in anyone."

My back straightened, slightly, at this warning, "He knows not to."

"Really?" she didn't sound amused, or any other emotion that I could pin point—or maybe it was because of her accent that I couldn't tell—"Well then tell me _why_—" the next words seemed to irritate her, and she took a moment, just to straighten them out, "—tell me _why _he brought _that_ boy into all this."

"That boy?"

"The redhead." She responded back instantaneously, "The one with the eye-patch."

'_Oh, him,' _–"he's just toying with him, I assure you." I tried to explain.

"Well tell him to stop or else." Her accent was so thick now I almost didn't understand her words, "He's just making things worse—and goodness knows we don't need _two_ people thinking they can avoid punishment if they turn a blind eye. That never turns out well, even if they're succeeding."

'_Who is she—'_

"Like your daughter, for example."

I opened my mouth to say something—anything—_'Road isn't involved.' _Well, she _is_ but, Allen was just—he was the product of a connection that was 'of interest', it didn't mean _anything_—but—but—

I still couldn't squash that feeling, in the pit of my stomach. Maybe Road had already figured it out, and maybe I had just turned a blind eye—she—she—and maybe—

"She wouldn't do that." My voice was a whisper, though—to her retreating back. She was leaving and she hadn't even announced it. Hell—she didn't even acknowledge my _reply_ until—until she reached the glass doors, and the headlights of the car she had driven in—flashed on, steadily—

"Really?" Her shadow covered mine, from the view of the light, "Well—keep telling yourself that. And good night to you."

Then the doors were open—

Then, a car door slammed—

Then, the screeching of tires—and headlights—fading—

Leaving me alone in the lobby, feeling, distinctly, that everyone knew so much more than me.

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**Hrm, well, like I hinted at the end of last chapter...I've had this chapter finished for a while, and I'll have to say, Lavi's POV _still_ bugs me, but, eh, I like what it leads up to, so it's all fine and good! Also with Sheryl's POV, I kept wanting to end it at certain points (before it actually ended) so forgive me if it sounds a bit choppy because of it. I just kept thinking of good lines for him to think/say and they demanded to be put in! I swear! It wasn't intentional! (I don't think)  
**

**As always—Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review!**

**Till the Next Chapter (which I Shall warn thee, if you aren't caught up in the manga--DO SO NOW. Or else you will be spoilt!)  
**

**-Harmony283**


	25. Intervention of Odd Proportions

**Chapter 24 and…hmm, the beginning might not make much sense, so I suppose I should put this here: It's in Allen's POV—and he ran off after what Cross said (about…him being like his mother, and such). That's why he wouldn't let Road talk to Allen (last chapter). Err, now that that's out of the way—I will say this. MAJOR SPOILERS for those who haven't read the most recent chapter of DGM. As in—I'm bringing in recent character's so if you haven't caught up, you probably should. **

**Note 1: To be specific (on the characters): Timothy, Divine Possession, and Chomesuke make an appearance in this chapter. They also will be playing a larger part from now on (at least where Allen is concerned). I suppose I should also mention but: This chapter goes by fast. And more or less (at least to me) feels like 3rd person. There's a reason for that, but I'm not too sure how well I pulled it off. Really, _Really_ like Divine Possession, though. Just to be random. Kekekekeke XD **

**Anon Reviews: **

**TokyoDarjeeling: **Ahaha you…really like Polar, eh? (I'll admit he's becoming my favorite OC at the moment. Just because) and no I didn't intend for him to be poetic at all, but I guess it just happens? O.o Ah well, not that It's a bad thing, by any means! –smiles- yeah it definitely has taken a few turns, especially recently, but they're needed and there _will_ be more, and yeah they're confusing but I'm glad you like them! And of course thanks so much for the awesome review—and here's the next chapter! –hugs-

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**(Allen's POV)**

The thing that made me realize I was awake more than anything else—was my stomach. Not—not it being upset. But being extremely hungry.

That and the voice, muffled, above me, laughing, "Well would you listen to that? I think the boy's awake." It was…a males voice? Above me—and I felt something cool against my skin.

"Y'think?" Followed by a girl's voice.

"Have you ever heard a boy's stomach growl that loudly when they were _asleep_?"

"Well yours does." The girl retorted, "And Tim's—sometimes. I'll go get something for him."

"Make it just tea—or broth." I heard a door sliding, nearly cutting the man's voice off, "wouldn't want him throwing up everywhere again." He sounded thoughtful, "Which he did in his sleep, but,"

"Tim's done that before too." The girl didn't sound too happy about it, but—but then the door slid shut—or open?—and the room was quiet.

"You can hear me, can't you?" the man was speaking directly to me now, "I know you can—and goodness, you really are the hungry one aren't you?" He didn't even seem to care if I could talk or not. I felt the cool thing against my skin being pulled off, replaced by _colder_ hands—"Can you move?"

I didn't want to.

"I know you don't really want to, but when she gets back you're going to _have_ to at least sit up. Even if you don't feel like opening your eyes."

Actually I didn't think I _could_—they felt like they'd been glued shut. But another loud growl from my stomach and—his hands moving to my back now—_even through_ my shirt, they felt like ice—and he noticed.

"Terribly sorry." He apologized, "I'm naturally cold blooded apparently. My dana gets angry about that as well."

And then I heard the door slide open but, oddly, it was from the other…other side? What?

"Would you stop callin' me that." A younger voice groaned.

"Oh but it's the truth."

"But it's _not_."

"I don't see why you don't see it that way." The older of the two shot back. I could've _sworn_ they'd have the same voice—if the younger was older, or vice versa.

"Well for one you're older than me." The younger complained, "And _second_ you're my half brother for fuckin' Christ's sake!"

The room was silent, after that.

Until the older spoke up again, "By the way—he's the one who found you." I didn't know who he was talking to, but I had a guess it was me, "Throwing up in the front yard. Or—on the sidewalk, but, you shouldn't be out in weather like this."

"I'll say," the boy muttered, "Chome wasn't too happy—cleaning your shit up."

I wanted to say sorry—but the words couldn't form.

"Don't worry, the tea will be here soon. It's bound to help." The older placed his hands, not on my back again, to help me sit up, but this time on my throat. And this time—I really _did_ jolt. Especially when one hand moved to my eyes. "Feel better?" he wondered, then, "Goodness you're warm."

"He has a fever, duh," the younger—I had the distinct feeling he was just a bit irritated by all this, "And you keep touching him. You'll get sick."

"You're worried?" The older sounded pleased, "Why, Dana, thank you!"

The other made a weird, strange, weird, choking—choking sound. "Thanks for _what_? If Maman comes back soon, and you're sick she'll freak."

"Only because you'll be left to take care of me." Again, he sounded pleased, "But I don't mind taking _that_ sort of blame. If it's for Dana, of course."

"And will you _stop_ calling me that?" now the kid sounded _really_ annoyed, "You know my name—I mean—really."

"Yes but Dana seems to suit you." And I had a distinct feeling then, too, that he was smiling through his words. "Timothy, on the other hand—it reminds me too much of Papa, doesn't it?"

"So? He named me, it should."

I felt like I shouldn't be hearing this.

"Are his eyes open?" Immediately I felt a cold hand over my eyes again—almost forcing me to open them, like they weren't glued shut anymore.

"Might as well," the man whispered, lowly, almost to me, "Go on—you can open them, can't you?" I suddenly felt the need to swallow—but—but—when he removed his hand, I _could_, slowly, but like they didn't want to work right away. Everything was blurry too. And he—he was just a blurry mass of blue and pale skin and odd colored eyes—and a tattoo of a cross, on his forehead.

"Oh good—" louder he smiled, "He's awake!"

"Threw up so much I thought he'd die—great." I turned my head slightly, to where the kid's voice was coming from, and saw a familiar mass of blue hair, and the same pale skin and eyes. But with a different—odder—tattoo. When he saw me staring he immediately covered his forehead with his hand, asking, "So you aren't dead, right?"

I nodded my head barely, "N-No…"

"Well good," he turned his head away, and stepped back through the door he had been leaning against. A few seconds later and he came back, with a headband covering his forehead—like Lavi's, except not. "Chome should be back soon, or," he thought over his sentence, then grimaced, "Unless she split the damn tea again."

"Or broth." The man corrected, gently, "That takes quite a bit longer than tea to heat up."

"Sure it does." The kid stepped closer, going nowhere near me, but still walking through the room, "I'll go check."

"And I'll stay here?" The man asked, and—I could see his expression a little clearer now, it was helped with his words. Quizzical at best.

"Yup, you will." The kid agreed, "makes things easier—anyway. Don't want both of us getting sick."

"True, true," the man chuckled, "Now—shoo, shoo—you might even help Chome out a bit."

And the kid actually listened—and shooed. Leaving us alone in the room. The room which now didn't seem so much like a blur anymore, or at least—I could tell that I was lying on the floor, on a mattress, with layers of vibrant blankets piled on top of me—to keep me warm, I guessed, since that was a natural one, anyway. Everything else in the room seemed thin and distinct—the walls were probably the only neutral thing _in_ the whole place. But the posters hanging on them negated the effect immediately.

Heck—I even thought I recognized one. A picture of—of _Cloud?_ With Lau Jimin perched on her shoulder, in the center of a ring. _'Why do they have that?' _ I wondered, mutely, but I didn't think I'd be able to comprehend the answer. Not right away at least.

I didn't even know why I was _here_ much less anything _else_ at the moment. I didn't think I wanted to know. But the man—the man explained anyway. Or felt the need to. Or _something_. Because he opened his mouth again—and began to talk.

"Goodness, though, you did give us quite the scare when we found you." He started simply enough, "Like I said, you were out in the yard throwing up—we didn't actually see you at first, though we heard you. Dana—ah, Timothy, the boy who just left—heard you first and freaked out, came to get me." He debated over something then smiled, "My name's Divine by the way. Or—you can call me that." He let out a laugh, "But really—you weren't heavy so I didn't mind carrying you in. Had a nasty fever though, and you looked half dead."

'_Looked?' _

"You've been out of it since late last night. You should be glad that we like late night walks, or else you'd probably still be out there now." He shifted a moment, and that's when I realized he was wearing a—a _kimono_? A very feminine looking one, in pale colors, but not much of a pattern to it. "But likewise, I won't ask why _you_ were out there in such a condition. Not until we get something simple in your stomach. But I'll have you know we'll keep you here at least until you'll tell us your name."

I must've looked startled—or _something_, because he laughed, good-naturedly, but still—"Oh don't look like that. Anyone would want to keep you in bed if they saw you—you look so _pale_." He patted the brightly colored comforter over top me, "Really, you make someone want to baby you, and I'm sure when Jerry gets back, he'll want to do the same. Heck—Chome wanted to, and usually she doesn't warm up to people immediately."

Almost as if on cue, the doors to the room slid open once more, and the woman from before—followed by the boy, Timothy—walked through, both carrying trays, one with glasses on it, and the other with a plate.

"Tea and some broth," the girl, Chome, replied, walking straight up to the bedside, before leaning down on her knees. "You awake enough to hold it?" she wondered, poking me lightly with her free hand, "cuz you sure as heck don't look like it."

"Oh he's awake enough." Divine said, bringing his sleeve up to hide his laughter, "I'm sure his reflexes are well enough so he can grip a simple glass." At that I felt my arm twitch, it was heavy—and a bit hard—but I managed to pull them out from the bed covers, and extend them towards the girl.

She looked a bit surprised, but smiled none the less, handing me the glass of—of _iced_ tea—saying, "Drink up." Before motioning Timothy forward, "And you—bring the broth. It doesn't have much in it, it's just beef. Was debating on putting something in it, but I don't think you'd be able to handle that now." Timothy moved to the other side of me, placing the tray with the bowl of broth—very thick looking broth, and it smelled really, really good too—down, before backing away hurriedly.

"Oh don't act like he's contagious, I doubt he is." Chome scolded immediately after she saw him.

"But he _could_ be. I don't wanna get sick and have Maman come home and—" he trailed off, casting his eyes to the side.

"Oh but he said he'd take care of us if we got sick." Divine piped up, "isn't that wonderful?"

"Really?" Chome looked back at the kid, then smiled, "Really, really?"

This sent the kid off—blushing bright enough for me to even tell, "_Well_ if it comes down to that, then I'd have to—right?"

"Exactly."

"I suppose so."

I managed to bring the cool glass to my lips, taking a sip, then—I smiled. I usually didn't _like _iced tea. But it was good. Really good.

"You don't have to sound so happy about it." The kid retorted, looking even more embarrassed than before, "It'd be a lot of work and—I'd probably end up getting sick anyway, and then _what_ would Maman say?"

"That Dana did good taking care of us?" I was pretty sure the girl was mocking Divine when she said that—but—I didn't know them that well—they just—they were nice, obviously, but—

"I wish you wouldn't do that, Chomesuke," Divine apparently recognized the teasing himself, "Not very nice of you, is it?"

The girl shrugged, the motion causing the straps of her shirt to slip, slightly, "Well,"

"Fashion alert."

I felt myself cough, and immediately the girl fixed said attire, "Oops—sorry." She didn't _sound_ sorry, "jeez, I should change shouldn't I?"

"Possibly." His sleeve was still covering the majority of his face, but he might be grinning. Might be.

"I'll go do that." She stood up quickly but before she turned to leave, she smiled at me, "By the way, I'm Chomesuke—the, err, _maid-for-hire_ here." She didn't give me a chance to respond, and I highly doubted I could, before she turned on her heels and left through the still open door she had come through, her padding footsteps against the wood dying away almost instantly as she left the room.

"Terribly sorry about her," Immediately Divine butted in, "She isn't the most aware person in the world, but she's a good soul."

"Or so you say." A snarky come back that I didn't get, from the kid.

"Or so I _do_ say, Dana." He sounded pleased again, though, "Now, now, can you talk?"

I opened my mouth, but my throat still felt too dry. I took another sip, which helped, a little, but when I tried to form a sound, it was horribly cracked and nearly indecipherable. It sounded like a _no_ when I had meant something like _yes_.

"I'll take that as a 'sort-of'?" Divine chuckled, brushing hair away from his eyes in a very feminine way, "Good enough in my book."

"You sure?" Timothy asked, and I realized he was closer to me now, "Sounded more like a dead frog than a sound."

"A sound a dead frog makes?"

"Whatever." He blushed again, embarrassed, "You know what I mean."

"That I do, Dana." Again, he sounded pleased with himself. Like a content cat, or something. "But last time I checked, the dead don't make sounds."

The kid bit his lip, "I _know_ that."

"Of course you do." Again pleased—pleased—_pleased_. "Now, can you try saying your name? Here, take a sip of the broth first." He took the glass easily from my hands, "Dana, help him with the bowl, please."

The kid was going to ask _why_ but didn't. Instead, he hesitantly came back over to me, grabbed the tray, and somehow managed to maneuver it into my lap. I was able to grip the spoon well enough, though, and lift it—it was much lighter than the glass—so that he didn't need to feed it to me.

After a few spoonfuls my throat _did_ feel better. At least, the part that wasn't trying to get scalded by the warm liquid. I opened my mouth once more to repeat my name, and I nearly, almost, managed this time, with a broken, "A…llen," a broken A syllable, along with the body—llen.

"Allen?" Divine seemed to like it for—for some reason, "Such a nice name. Very proper." But when he said _that_.

"You sound like you're insulting him."

"Oh?" Timothy gave him a look that I didn't want to give, "Oh! Terribly sorry. Such is my nature, or so I'm told." He smiled pleasantly, "terribly, terribly sorry."

I tried to smile back, but my lips felt chapped, "F-Fine. It's—f-fine."

"Good, good," I had the feeling my words didn't even begin to sink in, "Now—what's your last name?"

I blinked, confused, "Wha…?"

"It does no good just to say your first name, now-a-days." He sounded so forlorn when he said that, "Unless of course, you have a terribly original name from a hipped-out-mother such as ours." He motioned between himself and Timothy, who looked ten times more embarrassed.

But it made sense, even to me, and I knew I was probably _not_ going to remember any of this when I fell back asleep again. So, I told him, through chapped lips that were probably bleeding now, "W-Walker."

"Walker?" They both seemed mildly surprised by this, but again Divine seemed to recognize something before the kid did, "Really, now? Then—do you, by any chance, know Cloud?" He pointed to the poster I had noticed earlier, "She came for a visit, just a day or two ago, our mother used to perform at her circus—from time to time."

Oh. Well—then—I nodded my head, slowly, licking my chapped lips—I tasted blood on them, and had the urge to spit it out, but didn't.

"You do? Good," Divine looked over at Timothy, "Do you mind making a phone call?"

-------(**Cloud's POV**)-------

"You are an idiot." I let out a sigh, rubbing my forehead, "Really—Cross, an _idiot_."

"How the fuck was I supposed to know he'd run that fast?" He bowed his head even further, almost—_almost_ ashamed. It was rare enough to see him like this when drunk, but it was even _rarer_ to see him like this and sober, "The damn kid just—he's got a _fever_ dammit."

"And you slipped up and said his _mother_ was here?" Now admittedly I didn't know all the details, except a few I had heard from Mana in our performing days, which had been five years ago—at least. It hadn't been pretty, and there was some resentment there, but Allen didn't know most of it. He had only been a child, "I'd probably run from you _too_ if you said I reminded you of someone who up and abandoned me."

"But—it's the truth."

"And you just tossed his identity to the wind." I let out a lengthy sigh, "I'd hate to hear it too—especially if I felt like crap already."

"Still."

"_Still." _I repeated, "Still _what_?"

"Fuck it," he hissed under his breath, "I'm _worried_ dammit." He covered the side of his face with his hand, groaning—like he was in _pain_.

"I see that." It was hard not to. Honestly—if he was anyone else I'd be almost embarrassed by such a-a _weak _display. But it made him seem more human, if that ever made much sense to anyone. "But what do you want _me_ to do about it?"

"Nothing. Fuck it," he dropped his hand, his face pinched with worry, "I don't know why the fuck I called you here. Sure as hell ain't doin' _me_ any good."

"Have you called his friends?" He gave me a look that said, obviously, _no_, "Don't blame you for that." At least I knew the redhead probably wouldn't pick up, "Do you want _me_ to?"

"No." it was a little too forceful, but I dropped the question in my head before it could come to my lips.

"Then you want me to call Komui and have _him_ ask Lenalee about it?"

"When I said fuck it _no_—I meant no to _all_ of them." He ground out, "He's probably nowhere near any of 'em now."

"Then—" I thought over the words I was about to say before I outright _said _them, "He has a girlfriend, right?" He nodded his head, "What about her? He's been staying with her for a few days, right?"

"Definitely no."

I felt my eyes begin to twitch, "Are you saying no just to say no or do you really think he won't be there?"

"He definitely won't be there. Fuck—she's the last person he'd want to involve," he hesitated a moment, "She called last night—close to fuckin' _midnight_ to talk to him. I had t'lie and say he was sick again."

"Oh." And that—and that—was all I _could_ say, really. "Well, then, where do you _think _he'd be? Somewhere in a ditch throwing up?"

"I sure as hell hope not." He grimaced, and I couldn't help but share the sentiment.

"Yeah, poor kid." For a moment we both were silent, "You really have a way with making things worse, though."

He growled, lowly, "No need to point it out."

"When it's the truth?" We both knew it was. I let out another sigh, "Really. You just need to keep your _mouth_ shut sometimes."

"Fuck it if I don't already know it." He grumbled out, lowering his head to the table again. "Dammit—now I wish he had his cellphone on him."

"You think he'd get up the courage to call?"

He thought that over, "No. But—at least I'd be able to call _him_."

"And he'd pick up?"

He thought that over too, "No."

"Then what's the use? We'll hear from him eventually." I didn't know why I felt like comforting him, but it was moreso for me as well. After all—I had known the kid fairly well too. And Mana. They had traveled around with us for a bit—back before he died. Back before—when Cross was just a good friend and had no guardianship over him.

"Optimist."

"Pessimist."

He let out a groan—

And my cell phone rang.

"Hello?" I immediately picked it up, noting that Cross was looking at me now, but was also probably silently berating himself—probably. Probably.

"_Oh good, I was afraid you wouldn't pick up!" _A familiar, but only slightly so, voice crackled from the other end, sounding relieved.

"Um, who is this?" I wondered.

"_Divine."_

Ah, "Oh hey—it's been a while." I smiled and Cross went back to berating himself even more.

"_Certainly has." _He agreed, _"Not since Maman danced for you way back when."_

I smiled at the memory it brought up, "Oh yes, how is she doing? Have you heard from her?"

_"'Fraid not." _He sounded slightly dejected, but not by much, _"She left a while ago, on another one of her dance excursions. You know how she gets. Though, I'm sure she's doing fine." _

"Glad to see you're ever the positive one." I shifted in my seat, noting that Cross had reached for a glass from the cabinet above—and—he was eyeing his fridge, like he was going to go and get drunk. Wonderful.

"_Well I very much have to be." _He laughed, _"Since Dana," _I heard a muffled voice in the background, which he promptly ignored, _"Refuses to play that role. But, anyway, I'm sure you're wondering why I'm calling?" _

"Well," I glanced at Cross again, he was getting up, slowly, from next to me, still with that pinched expression on his face, "Yeah, actually—since it's been a while."

_"Mm," _he hummed on the other line, _"You busy? Well, this won't take long, I assure you—I just wanted to ask you something." _He didn't wait for me to ask 'what', which was nice of him, actually, considering I _really_ didn't want Cross to start drinking with me here. _"Truth be told it was a bit of a surprise that we came across it—him—ah, but, may I ask if we know a familiar acquaintance?" _

My grip immediately tightened on the phone, "Acquaintance?" Cross was by the fridge now, hand, wrapped around the handle. But he stopped the movement, and turned to me.

"_Why yes, we just met him though, so I don't know if that's the right word to use. Quite funny how we met him too—last night, passed out in our front yard. Or, rather, throwing up, but who cares about the little details?" _

I felt my face pale, "A-And? His name?"

_"So you do know him." _I could hear the relief in his voice, _"He's just a boy—fifteen, I think. Said his name was Allen, Allen Walker." _He paused, _"You _do_ know him, right?" _

"Yes, yes," I replied, too hurriedly, "is he—still there?"

_"Yes?" _he didn't sound like he wanted to give me a straight answer, _"Highly doubt he can move much anyway. With how sick he is." _

I relaxed immediately, even though hearing someone say that they were so sick they couldn't _move_ didn't really generate a wonderful feeling in one's chest, "But he's there—right?"

A slight pause, _"Yes he is. Chome is trying to get him to eat a bit more of the broth she made him, but I think he might end up being sick again. Oh—and Dana doesn't like him much—won't get near him—but," _he trailed off slightly, _"If you know him—then could you be a dear and come by?" _

"Yes, yes," again same answer to a different question, "I'll drop by—might take a few minutes, I'm at a…friends house." Cross was staring at me—hard—now.

"_Well as long as you come, you come." _He sounded pleased with himself, though, _"We'll keep the boy here until then, okay?" _And he didn't even let me respond—before he hung up.

But it didn't matter, though, because Cross was giving me possibly one of the strangest—most relieved, I supposed—looks I had ever seen.

"Who was it?" He asked, though I could tell he didn't care that much.

"Oh—a friend's son just called." I shrugged, "Not sure if you remember her, but she used to dance at performances. Caught Mana's attention more than once." At that I saw him relax a little, "But I suppose you don't care about that, do you?"

"They have Allen?"

"Yup." No need to beat around the bush, not when a full glass of some expensive win lay in between the silence, "Said he was dangerously sick—but that he ate a little. Said they'd keep him there till we got there, maybe until afterwards." Because I had to be an idiot not to hear the worry in Divine's voice—he cared too much, especially when one was sick. Scared his mother half to death—from what I could remember—with how many people he tried to help, but—

"So we can go? Now?" He took a few steps toward me, looking relieved.

"Maybe I should." He knew what I meant by that. No reason to tell him more about what he already knew, because then—it was already painful, wasn't it?

He didn't seem to like that, though, "I'll stay in the car."

"Then he definitely won't come back with me." I stated, slipping my cell phone back in my pocket, "In fact—I don't' think he should anyway, if he's been sick all night. They might want to keep him there."

"But—"

"Just for the weekend." I felt like I was reminding him of that, even though I never said it before then. "Then maybe I'll try to convince him. Or you might—at least, _try_ to apologize." And, oddly, he _didn't_ try to stop me when I stood from my seat. He didn't try to stop me when I grabbed my coat off the hanger by the front door, and he certainly didn't stop me from walking _through_ said door.

But then, before I shut said door, he called out, "I'll call, then—you. I'll call _you_ after—afterwards."

"Or I'll call you." I called back, shutting the door quickly before heading down the hallway, down the elevator, and then out into the parking lot—to my car—to find the road that led—that led to the inconspicuously big, but old, house that didn't seem to fit. It wouldn't be hard to find, I knew, but I hadn't been there in ages.

In _ages_.

'_Wonder how they're doing.'_ Because, after a all, it _had_ been a while—since I last saw them. The two boys, and their father, _'Though he's out of the picture.' _I knew that all too well.

As I started the engine, turned up the AC—it really _was_ warm, for a September morning—and backed out of my parking spot, I also had to wonder—_'Do they take after her?' _

She had been beautiful too. And memorable. With her teal blue hair, and glassy eyes—and the tattoos she had tactfully placed—to show her freedom. And the smiles she always gave everyone, even me, even them, and certainly to those who probably didn't deserve them.

'_At least she's still dancing.' _That was good. She was doing what she wanted. _'Maybe I should ask Divine about it.' _Because if I could—I'd track her down, just to see her dance again. It had always been a treat, especially when she practiced—when the dances weren't for anyone in particular, much less for herself.

'_Are they as good as her?' _I hadn't remembered much on the boy—the youngest—but Divine had been learning, when I knew him. Learning the steps like his mother, she had so much fun teaching him, _'Did she stop teaching them?' _

Stop light. Stop sign. The loud honk of a horn somewhere in front of me, which wasn't for me, so I paid no attention—

It was nice meeting up with old friends again.

'_And of course—Allen.' _I hoped the boy was okay, being sick like that—and then running off—_'All because of what Cross said.' _

Which brought back when he had run off—after—after he had _hit_ Lavi. And Lavi hadn't even complained—just sat there and took it like who he was supposed to be.

I let out a silent sigh, "Something's going on." Something more, at least, than anyone was willing to admit. And maybe something that, at least right now, I was too afraid to find out.

-------(**Allen's POV, roughly an hour later-)**-------

"Thank you," I managed out, smiling as Chome took the empty glass from my hand, "I-I really feel better now."

She smiled easily back, "That's good to hear." She reached a hand out and touched my forehead, "You've still got a fever though, not high, but,"

"I'll be fine." I tried to smile, "The worst…was my stomach. A-and that—that feels much better." That seemed to relieve her even more.

"Not that you can't say you didn't try to." We both turned our heads to the sound of Timothy's voice—complaining to, or at, Divine for—for something. Funny how I hadn't been here an hour, and yet I felt like I knew them.

"She'll be here in a few minutes." Divine was trying to explain, "So I _did_ try to, and it should all work out." He slid the door to the room I was in, open, and smiled when he saw me sitting up, "Oh—and look who's sitting up, all rejuvenated like!"

I didn't know why, but the way he said that was…disturbing. At least—a little bit.

"I'm feeling better." I managed to smile at him though, which earned me a happy smile back. "The tea was really good."

"Well it _is _Chome's specialty." The girl flushed at the compliment, smiling.

"Jerry taught me how to make it." She explained, "He's the _best_ cook _ever_! Even people who don't know how to boil an egg—once he's done with them, they can cook anything without fear!"

"Well you still can't make cheesecake." Timothy poked his head around Divine, grinning slightly, "Which you need to _learn_ how to do."

"Oh hush—you know how I am with desserts." Her pride didn't seem to deflate in the slightest, though.

"And like I said—you need to practice." He shot back, "I _like_ cheesecake, so,"

"So I can always make it for you." Divine pointed out.

"You can make cheesecake?"

He looked hurt, "Of course I can! Who do you think made you cheesecake for your thirteenth?"

He thought that over before, blandly, stating, "Jerry."

"He helped." Still sounded hurt.

"Don't you mean you helped him?" Timothy raised an eyebrow at this, "Cuz if _you_ made it—and he only helped, then,"

Divine held up his hand, collectively cutting him off, "Don't finish that, please."

And he listened, again, slipping past him, and stepping into the room, "Oh—and—yeah, we called someone."

"Cloud?" I asked, he nodded.

"And," he hesitated for a moment, "Chome—the cat under the shed, y'know?"

"Cat?" I wondered

"Under the shed?" Chrome asked.

"Fine—the porch thing." He brushed it off, "Well—she disappeared for a few months, right?" Chome nodded her head, "Well she's back now."

"And?"

"She's got three kittens following her." His eyes narrowed slightly, "Not sure if there're supposed to be more, but they're there. Under the shed-porch thing, if you wanna see."

Immediately she shot up from her seat, "Really? Really, really?"

"Really, really—why'd you think we took so long?"

"Reception bad?"

"Well there is that." Divine chuckled, "But—they are back. Quite cute too. I figure we should bring the kittens in, if the mama will let us." He looked over at me, "Unless you're allergic."

"No—no—I'm…not." I smiled reassuringly, "A-Actually, I wanna see 'em too." Because it'd distract me, probably, from my fever, and that was definitely something I needed right about now.

Chome was already gone, though, when I said that, and I could hear—only a few seconds later—because apparently she ran, or something—her squeal, loudly.

"Well she certainly found them." Divine laughed, and Timothy grimaced. And—and—

A second later and she was back, panting, with only one kitten in her arms, which seemed to surprise the both of them. "Just one?" Timothy asked, moving forward—taking the traumatized cat from her arms.

"Only one I could catch." She huffed, "the others ran under the porch—way under. Couldn't reach 'em and their momma tried to scratch me."

"Goodness, really?" Divine leaned down, almost like he was trying to—inspect her, or something, "She didn't, though, right?"

"Right." She had a hand over her heart, though, like it'd help her catch her breath. "But—I got the smallest one. Isn't he cute?" Timothy had set the cat down on the ground now, but it wasn't moving—it looked like it was too scared to.

But—

"It _is_ cute." I agreed. Because it was—all white, but with grey splotches on his feet, blond on his ears—and golden…golden eyes.

"It's a bit small though." Timothy remarked a second later, "Considering it's almost been six months since the cat disappeared." He took a step forward, and the kitten took a step back, before bolting—

Straight towards me—

Under the covers and—

"E-eh?" I could barely see it moving under so many sheets, but it was, and I could hear it hissing and—hesitantly, I reached under the covers, feeling around and—I winced, when he bit me, but—I tugged it out anyway.

"Found him," I smiled wearily, holding him up as far as my heavy limbs would allow.

And then—we heard it, somewhere close by, a car door slamming—loudly. Sending the cat, bolting, back under the sheets—but—I could feel him, against one of my legs—

And then there was a loud knock—louder than it probably should be, but then, I didn't know how close I was to the front of the house—

"That must be Cloud." Divine hurried towards the door, "You might want to grab that cat again, just in case she brought her monkey with her." Then he disappeared through the door, and down the hall—

And I proceeded to try and find the kitten, again, who then, proceeded to try to _bite_ me again, but I pinched his ear this time, and he didn't. Instead he just hissed at me, but allowed me to drag him from the covers—unsticking his claws from the fabric at the last minute, when he seemed to realize he could use them.

I had just gotten him firmly into my arms, when I heard the familiar voice of—none other than—Cloud. A second later and her head appeared in the doorway, eyes immediately focusing on me. Her monkey, though, was nowhere to be seen. And she smiled, "Allen! Thank goodness—you're looking better."

I opened my mouth to greet her, somehow, but then—something stopped me. She had her cell phone in her hand like she had just been talking to someone, and I didn't want to guess who it was. Besides—how could she have know I was sick?

'_So she was at Cross's place.' _

And she knew that I had guessed that, and her smile turned a bit more solemn, "How're you feeling?" She instead asked, "You still have a fever?" I nodded my head slightly, feeling the kitten struggle in my grip. She didn't seem to notice it though, and stepped even closer, "Well—least you're slightly up, which's better than nothing." She smiled at Chome, and ruffled Timothy's hair, when she walked by him.

"Hey!" He attempted to pull back, but not ignore, the sign of affection.

"Glad you ended up here, though," she murmured, when she reached the bedside, kneeling down before hugging me—again ignoring the fact that there was a cat in my arms. Until, of course, she pulled away, "And—since when did you have a cat?"

"I don't." I looked down at the cat in my arms, who looked like he wanted to hiss, but didn't. "He just—um—"

"Oh it's his." Chome cut me off, "If he wants him."

I blinked, "What?"

"If you want him," she repeated, "We're going to have to find homes for the other two anyway, or take care of 'em ourselves. You said you weren't allergic, right?"

"R-Right."

"So you can have him." She smiled. "But you'll have to name him."

I looked down at the cat, and the cat looked up at me. _'Name him?'_ But—_what can I name him?' _I wasn't good at naming, well, _anything_ much less an animal. Last time that happened was when I got to choose the name of a school pet, but they wound up changing it anyway.

"Well? You wanna name him or not?" That was Timothy, sounding a bit annoyed, "We can name him for you, if you want."

"I—uh—no, I'll name him, um," I looked harder at the cat, and the cat just looked back at me, dumbly, almost, "I-I just don't know _what_—"

"what's the first thing that comes to mind, then?" That was Divine, "That always helps me name cute little animals."

"But makes it unoriginal." Timothy grumbled under his breath.

"Unoriginal is better than nameless." Divine corrected—or quoted—or something.

So—So—_'first thing that comes to mind?' _and the cat yawned, loudly, revealing it's pointed white teeth—

Suddenly I remembered, faintly, a piece of jewelry Cross loved to wear. It wasn't anything fancy, but the company he had bought it from—the name was—

"I think I have one, now," apparently I had interrupted a potential argument, because now Timothy and Divine were looking at me, like they expected me to choose a name they had thrown at each other. But I hadn't even heard them. Instead, I said, slowly—

"How about Timcampy? Does that sound good?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------

**And now Allen has a five month old kitten named Timcampy. I have to wonder if I originally wanted that to happen or not, and I can't quite remember. But it worked out nicely, anyway, and…I have to say, this chapter didn't seem as tense as the others. Maybe because not that much happened (except introducing a few characters), but…I like it. It's soothing. **

**Oh yeah and: Maman means 'mother' (or mama/granny) in French  
**

**Again, have Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review!**

**Till the next chapter (I've really gotta stop writing ahead…) **

**-Harmony283**


	26. Waking Up

**Urgh, I specifically _told_ myself I wouldn't upload this chapter until I observed something a bit more, but nooo I can't last that long -sighs-. Heck I can actually say this chapter (25) is probably my favorite chapter so far XD Mostly because I **_**finally**_** get to use some lines (or Lavi does, anyway) that I actually envisioned when starting this fic. That and I think it's the first time I've written them both naturally in a while (hrm, out of practice? Maybe, but it felt nice having it feel natural again). Oh yes. And Phone calls are annoying, especially when they bring up something one would rather **_**not**_** talk about (even when it's needed). **

**Note: Fluff. There is **_**fluff**_** in this. Probably a bit overdue, but it's there and it makes me happy. Though I will say...if I observe something in respones to this chapter...then there might or might _not_ be fluff in the next chapter. (Fluff as in...Lavi won't just kiss Kanda's 'neck' anymore). -hums innocently here, and backs off-  
**

**Thanks again for the reviews! **

**Brizu: **Again there's not much I can say for that, except I would _really_ appreciate the reviews right now. (end of the school year equals high amounts of stress and...yeah -dies a little from all the projects she's had-) But of course indepth reviews are wonderful and I love them just like any review! So thank you so much for them! And actually...that pun was entirely unintentional XD (since she is indeed human in this), but it does sort of qualify as one (considering what she was in the anime/manga, it'd make sense). Well, I've given Allen a cat in my other AU story I have up (but then in that one it's more of Cross's cat than his), and as I said I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but I know animal's generally DO help people recover faster, so that's my main reason behind it. Basically Timcampy'll follow Allen around wherever the heck he can. And he'll give a fair warning to certain things (even if it means he's 'disappeared' seemingly) so pay attention to that. -nods head- Well smiley's are a good way to communicate, so I don't mind 'em (I overuse 'em too). But again thanks so much for the review! -hugs- it means a lot especially right now.

**----------------------------------------------------**

**(Lavi's POV) **

"Wait, so—_what_?" I tried to work the details out in my sleep deprived—okay, not really, but it _was_ early—brain.

Allen just let out a sick kind of laugh, _"I'm with Cloud—at a friend's of hers place." _

"Ah, ah, I got that," I rubbed my forehead, trying to stifle a yawn, "but—_why _all of a sudden?" Okay maybe I shouldn't have worded it like _that_ but, "I mean—y'don't have to tell me it right _now_ but—"

"_It's why I called you." _He murmured, quickly and quietly, _"But yeah, I-I'd rather _not_ mention it on the phone." _I had the distinct feeling he was being watched, because I sure as hell knew _I_ was.

But that might be more on part because I didn't know how the hell to explain _why_ I fell asleep in _his_ bed, and not my own. Next to _Kanda_ and not by my lonesome. And why my cell phone woke _him_ up too—and made him realize this, when I could have easily woken up before him and slipped out—or vice versa—and we could have never mentioned a word about it.

Or probably. But—we had been woken up by a _phone-call_, not anything else. Of course it would be different.

I let out a sigh, and heard Allen whisper, _"Lavi? E-Everything okay?" _

"Everything's cool." I easily lied, then, chuckled, "You worry too damn much about others when you _need_ to worry about yourself."

"_I'm sorry." _He tried.

"Don't say sorry." I replied, "Now _what_ exactly do you want to—do." Because saying anything more would make Kanda curious, even if he didn't want to be, and he was _still_ staring at my back, so I knew he'd ask who it was anyway even though he, well, knew who it was.

"_I was hoping you'd know." _He sounded deflated, _"I mean—it's a Saturday, and, um, but I can't—I'm still sick." _

"Figured." I said it easily enough, "Want me to swing by there?"

"_You can?" _he sounded surprised, in a weak sort of way.

"It's doable." Kanda was glaring at me harder, like he wanted to say something, "So—don't worry about it. When do you want me to come by?"

"_Um, maybe—this afternoon? I'm already feeling a lot better, and it's only been an hour. Cloud's talking with them now, to see if I can't just go home soon, so," _he trailed off.

"You sure you want to go home, though?" I wondered, lowering my voice—feeling Kanda shift on the bed behind me—_'This feels so wrong'_ not that I hadn't wished for it before, but—no.

"_She said he wasn't home." _He replied back, slowly, _"So—so I can get my stuff, y'know? She offered to let me stay with her but, I didn't want to impose, so." _

"You'll stay there?" wait, "I mean—where you are right now. Not at your place—that'd be a bit, y'know." I glanced back at Kanda, who shot a glance away near immediately.

"_Y-Yeah." _He agreed, then, lowering his voice even further, _"Did I wake you up?" _

"Sort of." I shrugged my shoulders even though I knew he couldn't see the movement, "but it's no big deal, really."

"_What about Kanda?"_

"What about him?" And Kanda knew we were talking about him, but he didn't look annoyed, or even peevish.

"_Is he awake?" _

I glanced back at him, "Yeah, why?"

For a moment the other end was silent, _"Just—just wondering. Will he…come too?" _

"He isn't my only means of transportation, now, y'know." I casually reminded him.

"_Err, no, I mean," _he hesitated; Kanda looked mildly offended, _"It's just, um, maybe he should come?" _

I blinked, "You want him to?"

"_No_!" he immediately denied, _"I just think he _should_. That's all."_

"Why?" it was an honest question that I wouldn't mind getting an answer to, if he'd give it.

"_Because—he walked out, on Thursday." _

Oh.

I let out a sigh, "Look—that's got nothing to do with—"

"_It doesn't?" _he didn't sound like he believed me, _"But you still need to…fix things, right?" _

Well—"Yeah, maybe, but what's that got to do with—"

An annoyed, breathy, weak, sigh cut me off, "_Because you're my friend. You both are." _He didn't sound too much like he wanted to include the other boy in it, but he had and that _had_ to mean something—didn't it? I knew it did, and he continued, "_So shouldn't you try and fix things? You can't when you aren't…there to fix them." _

I let out a short laugh, "What _are_ you getting at?"

"_Nothing." _He answered, _"Th-that I get, anyway. Just—it's a feeling." _He paused, lengthy, this time, breathing a bit harder, _"I just get the feeling y-you have to do something." _

"Okay?" Because I didn't know how else to respond to that.

"_Yeah."_ He exhaled deeply.

"You need to sleep still." I chided, gently, "Call me back when you wake up—or something." I highly doubted he was half listening to what I said anymore. The fever was probably taking him again. Stupid fevers.

"_But you have to do something." _

"I know." Didn't know _what_ I had to do, though.

"_You'll think of it—right? Y-You always do." _

'_No I don't.' _I wanted to say, but didn't. Instead, "Get some sleep. I'm hanging up." And I did—before he could reply back. After all—if I didn't, then he certainly wouldn't, and we'd just drag each other into it a bit more than needed. Neither of us needed that—with a sleep deprived brain, and fever induced mumblings. It wouldn't turn out well in the long run (or any sort of run, for that matter).

But that didn't matter when the first words out of Kanda's mouth were, blatant, and loudly, "Who was it?"

"Who do you think?" I rubbed my good eye—it was still a bit sore, though.

"The beansprout."

"It's All-en."

He ignored my correction, "What did he want?"

"You heard him." I chose not to directly answer his question, "You tell me."

"He wants to talk to you." He stated, blandly, almost like he didn't want me to leave, "But how will you get there?"

"I can always give Tyki a call." I shrugged my shoulders, "besides—he went back to sleep. It's not like I need to see him immediately anyway."

He scowled slightly, "You always say that."

"Say what?"

"Tyki—can give you a lift."

"Well he is—" the words died on my lips. Wait.

"Your?"

"My—" I sighed, "Nothing. Just—he'll give me a ride."

"Then he'll steal you away for the day." He sounded offended, and almost hurt.

"You almost sound like you're _jealous_." I was just pointing out the fact.

"I'm _not_." He violently denied, "Just—how much _crap_ did we get into when we met up with him _last_ time?"

"We?" I wondered a little too loudly, "You went and followed me when I told you not to." Crap, I wasn't making anything any better, "Look—I'm still tired."

"Then sleep."

"Not—"

The look on his face made me stop the words, and instead, "You sure you aren't jealous?" Now he looked flustered, violently shaking his head. "Well, do I need to _make_ you jealous?"

"That's stupid." He grunted out, turning his face away, scowling.

"Not entirely." I was taking this with a grain of salt, _'It'd be amusing, anyway.' _Because it'd be sort-of what I wanted.

His scowl deepened slightly, and he glanced back at me, "What the fuck do you know?"

"Nothing." He didn't seem to like it when I said that word. So I repeated it, "Nothing—at all." He looked confused now, "I just think that."

"Because?" He actually voiced a damn question. I could've cried for joy—for an entirely different reason.

"You're asking?"

He turned his head, slightly, away, "Not that I care."

"Of course you don't." He looked uncomfortable, "But you asked."

"Because—" I tilted my head to the side, he hesitated, "it's stupid."

"So you're asking me why I'd ask something as absurd as for you to have a human emotion." That really threw him for a loop. It was hilarious, really, mostly because he didn't say anything at first. Or for the first couple of minutes.

Then, slowly, he at least _tried,_ "It's—just stupid."

_'Yeah, repeat yourself why don't ya?' _But he was trying. I had to give him something. Honestly. "Would you quit repeatin' yourself?"

He blinked at me.

I sighed again, rubbing the back of my head, "Listen, Kanda—"

"I'm not." He cut me off, shifting a bit, until his feet hit the floor on his side of the—_'wait, his? Hell, it's not like we sleep together _all _the time.' _

"Do you even know what we're _talking_ about now?" I watched him pad around the bed, past me, to the doorway.

"No." He actually answered, "I'm taking a shower."

"Fine." I fell back, easily, onto his bed, "Go—do that."

"And get the fuck out of my room."

I raised my head a bit, "If I say no?"

He looked absolutely livid, in that quiet way of his. But he didn't say a word. In fact—he just turned his head back around and walked _out_ of the room.

And I had the distinct feeling I'd just make things worse--_'It has to blow over eventually.' _I told myself, slowly, _'It just has to.' _Because until then, it felt like treading on broken glass—something that would be painful for the both of us.

-------(**Kanda's POV)**-------

Don't think.

The water scalded my skin, but I ignored it.

Don't think.

It helped me not think

Because

_Fuck_

I'd been doing that too much lately.

And—

_Fuck_

I didn't want to.

**-------(Lavi's POV)-------**

He came out roughly an hour later, hair down, and wet, with a towel around his shoulders—no shirt, of course—just in his pants.

And I was still in his room, lying on his bed.

"I told you to get the fuck out." He stated it more like a fact now, and that almost had me worried. Almost

"And I said what if I didn't?" I shot back, "And what did _you_ say?"

He blinked at me, ignored me—or tried to, anyway, I was pretty obvious so I knew he couldn't, not entirely—and walked _straight _to his closet. To pick out what to wear—on a Saturday.

But even that seemed mechanical, and the words slipped out—all but unintentionally "You haven't been thinking lately."

He had just reached up to grab a shirt, but the movement was immediately halted, "_What_?"

He didn't sound like I was wrong, though.

"You haven't." I pressed, "Not since—" I left the sentence hanging. Because he knew, and I knew, and he hopefully knew that I certainly knew, how it would end.

He jerked the shirt off the hanger, and was about to slip it on—but—

"Kanda, you're shirt'll just get wet." I had to point that out too. Because it was annoying—feeling wet cloth on skin. Annoying as hell no matter how fun. I pushed myself off the bed, dangling my feet over the side—ready and willing to do—do _something_—when I knew he'd disagree.

"It'll dry." Well it _would_ but—

I stood up, quickly, as he walked over to the dresser, tossing the towel on the floor, "But Yuu, your hair's still wet." I picked up the forgotten towel, and came up behind him. He all but froze, "You'll catch a cold."

"Why the fuck do you care?" he shot back, "that never happens anyway."

Because I'm a caring friend. That's why.

Yeah—if the words out of my mouth would've been that innocent.

I tugged whatever hair had gotten trapped by the neck of his shirt out, and gently brought the towel up with my other hand. He didn't stop me—at first—so—so I started to dry it, naturally. Starting with the tips, gently, so it wouldn't frizz—not that his hair _ever_ frizzed, but then—he might actually do something to keep it that way.

It wasn't until I got about half way up that he actually started to protest, "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Drying your hair." Okay, admittedly I probably was doing a crappy job, but, "So you won't get sick, because it _does_ happen." I stopped my hands for a moment, when I saw a trickle of water, run, slowly, down the side of his neck—I could see it, because, hell, he always liked wide-collared shirts, even if he didn't like to wear them in public, much—and—before I could stop myself, I leaned down.

Before the drip met the base of his neck, my tongue had caught it, leaving its own damp trail as well.

And—when I looked up—

Kanda looked absolutely mortified.

I felt myself kiss the skin of his neck, gently, for good measure—and, hell, he seemed frozen. Good enough time as any, but—

I vaguely wondered if he was remembering that night at Tyki's. I kissed his neck then too, and he clocked me for it pretty bad. That…_painful_…little memory, made me jerk away at probably the last second, but Kanda was still sitting there, frozen, to the spot, almost.

"What?" I tried to tease, "It's not like I left a mark, Yuu-chan."

That seemed to snap him out of it, and his hand immediately flew to his neck—like I had tried to choke him—_like that time, in the alleyway, when I hadn't meant to—_But then, it had been to _protect_—But—_'Didn't explain. Should apologize again.' _

"Sorry, sorry."

Now he looked confused. Only marginally, though, compared to the glare, "Get the _fuck_ out of my room." He grated out instead.

And I went, gladly, because he didn't get why I was apologizing—and, hell, I didn't know, okay, well, I _did_ but—I _pretended_ not to know why I kissed him.

Tyki was my _nothing_, and I was probably just his plaything, to be dragged along.

Kanda was my _something_—a something I needed to protect. And I was his shield, whether he wanted to admit it, or not. I could live with that. Yeah. I could.

And as I flopped myself down, hard, on the bed, I distinctly heard the phone start to ring, a second later, and—it was being picked up.

-------(**Kanda's POV)-------**

"_Hello?" _

I recognized the voice immediately, "Marie?"

_"Kanda?" _He sounded surprised, _"I was expecting Lavi, but it _is_ early. He still asleep?" _

"No." I knew he probably heard me, though, there weren't any damn doors in this place except for the bathroom, "He's up. Just—in his room."

_"Really? How's his black eye?" _

I blinked, "Oh." Actually, "It—why?"

"_Well, Cross hit him pretty hard." _Marie explained, _"He didn't hit him back, which was good, but, Tiedoll said it wasn't exactly—pretty. And that it'd take some time to heal." _

Ah, "Tch, he worries too much."

"_Well, he's at least putting ice on it?" _Marie tried to press, "_You know how Master is, Kanda, he—"_

"I _know_." I cut him off, "Lavi isn't going to _die_ from a black eye." Though it was pretty bad, "What the fuck did he _say_?"

Marie was silent for a moment, "It had something to do with Allen."

"Walker?" Well, I hadn't guessed that, but, "what the fuck does that Moyashi have to do with anything?"

_"Cross _is_ his guardian," _he reminded me.

"I know."

_"Well," _he hesitated now, _"We're…actually looking into that now. I—that's half the reason I'm calling, actually." _

"To ask him about it?" I saw one green eye, and a flash of red hair peek out of Lavi's doorway.

"_And to ask you to come to."_

Wait.

"Why?"

_"Tiedoll wants to know something, too." _He was hesitating far too much.

"About what?" Lavi was leaning against the doorframe, now, looking—wait—_worried_?—_noticeably_ worried? What?—Directed at me.

"_About that—that kid." _

In the end. Again.

In the end it was all about—

"Rei, then."

"_Kanda, please, we can only look up so much." _

"And?"

I was distinctly aware that Lavi was crossing the room, now; he'd probably get here before Marie tried to explain. Because when—well, this wasn't something he'd know about, but—he was fast. When he needed to be.

He had the phone out of my grip—because I wasn't listening to him anyway. To what Marie was saying—

He breathed into the receiver, "You might wanna shut up now." The talking on the other end immediately ceased, "I'm right here. Now," he looked at me, "Yuu, sit down."

I glared at him, he glared right back. He _was_ worried. Not curious—_worried_.

-------**(Lavi's POV)-------**

Dammit all if I didn't want to know too. But not when he looked like he'd break the fuckin' phone in two.

I didn't listen to what Marie tried to say; instead I cut him off again, "Look—I'll call back. Later. Okay? Right now isn't—and—Allen called earlier _too_, damn it."

"_He did?" _he wanted to know what that was about too.

"Yeah, but, he's asleep now, so," I let out another sigh, "I'll call back later, hopefully before he calls again. I promised to meet with him too, y'know." Damn how busy.

"_I see, well, it might be better if you talked to him first before—" _background noise cut him off for a moment, "_Because we might be asking you something about that too." _

"Because I know everything, neh?" It was supposed to be a joke.

"_Yes, it seems like you do." _

A really, really _bad _joke. That nobody got, and everyone asked what the joke fuckin' _was_.

Like the comedian who died of lung cancer, but never smoked in his life. What was the joke? That he _said_ he was going to die of lung cancer? That he actually died? Or that he'd appear again in a few years? To hell if I knew.

"I'm hanging up now." I didn't give the other end a chance to protest before I rudely—okay, maybe not but—slammed the phone down, turning to face Kanda in practically the same movement. He was leaning against the counter now, not sitting, looking like I offended him, but helped him all in the same breath. Which I probably did. But then—how the hell did I get off knowing that either?

I let out a sigh.

"You want to know too." I didn't expect him to speak first, but maybe it was good that he did.

"Probably." His eyes were on the phone still, "But maybe it's better you explain now, for yourself."

He 'che'd' at me.

"I'm being serious." I tried to explain, "They'll get answers if they need them."

"Only because they looked it up." He stared at the phone like he thought it'd come to life and eat me. Nice.

"You can't know everything just by looking." Jeez that sounded wise, "And besides, they know Bookman's back—err, my old man." Slip up, slightly.

But he didn't seem to notice, "Really."

"Really." I nodded my head, slightly, "And they won't hesitate to ask him for help." His eyes flickered to me for a second, "I'm serious, they won't."

"And how would _he_ help?"

I exhaled.

'_He doesn't know, still.' _Right, _'Why do I have to keep reminding myself?' _They don't know yet, it had been better that way. _'Wouldn't surprise me if Cross slipped up, but Tiedoll wouldn't.' _and it wasn't like Kanda was under his roof any given day of the—well—_years_.

"I told you before he worked for the government, right?" A convenient lie, which he still bought now, with a nod. "Well part of that has to deal with getting information—and," I hesitated under his stare, "And using it."

He didn't get it.

"On the person. On—on you, for example." I bit my lip, slightly, "and I don't think you want that."

"How would getting knowledge I already know thrown back at me be _bad_?"

I couldn't help it—really—it was absurd. I laughed. Okay. Maybe more like cackled, but it startled him, not slightly—I was hoping he didn't care that much, but maybe it worked more in my favor, which now was bad, bad, _bad_.

"Trust me, it is." I managed to get out, after a while, "So it's better you explain what you do know, in case. Because they could _not_ bring him into this." The chances would be slim, though. They'd call him just in case.

He blinked at the wording, scowling for a second, disbelieving. He opened his mouth—probably to say he didn't believe me, and wouldn't, under any and all circumstances—and hell, this was half for me, too, I wanted to know _what_ I was protecting him from—but, then, he changed his mind. Just like that, I saw it in his eyes, and—he said—slowly, unbelievably slowly, articulating the words like they were some foreign language—

"Rei, right? About Rei?" I nodded. He exhaled, like the word burned him, "W-well, what…_about_…her?"

-------**(Allen's POV roughly 4 hours later)**-------

"You're running a fever again." Divine murmured from over me, sounding, or attempting to sound, worried. But he was failing. Sort of.

"Wasn't he already running one?" Timothy wondered from next to him, looking at the thermometer, like he wasn't used to seeing it.

"Well, yes," Divine clucked, turning the thermometer off and placing it back on the table, "But it's higher, this time. Than it was."

"Obviously." Timothy groaned, "Don't see why you'd _worry_ if it went _down_." Then he turned on his heels and I was just us again, in the room.

"Terribly sorry about him, again," Divine tried to correct, smiling but not sounding apologetic, "He isn't very good around people, if you haven't noticed."

"I've…noticed." I croaked out, trying to return the smile, but it probably turned into something weaker than that. Maybe.

"Get some more sleep," The older man cooed, "It'll help you're fever go down."

"What…time?"

He glanced at the watch he apparently was wearing, "Nearly two, why?"

"Promised Lavi…I'd call back." I exhaled as I tried to sit up. It wasn't working. I saw Timcampy, dozing--but ears pricked up, like he was expecting something to happen, tail swishing in his sleep--

"Lavi? The boy you were talking to earlier?" He tried to connect the person to the voice, to something I had already done. He was a people person—if he could do that. "Well, I suppose if you _must_ since you _did_ say you'd call him back, but make it quick." He pulled a very new-looking cellphone from his oversized sleeve and handed it to me, "if he comes over I can't guarantee he won't get sick, but,"

Okay, I felt a little bad, "He'll c-come anyway." It was difficult talking, so instead I dialed his cell number, waiting for him to pick up.

Which took roughly ten rings, but he eventually _did_ pick up to a—a—

"_Allen?" _He sounded out of breath, like he had just run halfway across the world just to get to his phone, _"Hey, hey, ah, how're you…feeling?" _

"Better." I lied, Divine shot me a look. "Um, and _awake_. I think—you can come visit now."

There was silence on the other end, _"Really, so are you still at their place, or?" _

"It would probably be better if I didn't move." I shivered, and immediately Divine stood, grabbing a set of blankets I had kicked off earlier, and draping them back over me.

"_Ah, I see, I see." _But he probably didn't, he sounded—not entirely there, anyway. _"How do I get there?" _

I glanced over at Divine, who was seating himself back next to me, "H-How does he get here from…?"

"Does Cloud know where he lives?" I nodded, "Let her pick him up then."

Lavi apparently heard that_ "Sounds good to me. D'uh, I need a little more time here anyway." _And for the first time it a dawned on me—not only did he not sound entirely _there_ but, _now_ he let worry leak into his voice.

"Where's Kanda?" First words out of my mouth.

And he laughed, _"He's busy right now." _I didn't like the way he said that, "_And, uh, it's kinda important." _There was a moment of silence and I could've sworn I heard a muffled sob in the background. But Kanda never cried. Neither did Lavi, for that matter.

Lavi jerked the phone away from his ear anyway, whispering to the person, "Calm down, y'sound like a choking animal." What a nice way to put it.

But it certainly helped. The sniffling stopped and the person said—in a too, too familiar voice—"_You know fucking _enough _now. Hang up the damn fuckin' phone." _

"_Now, now, I wouldn't do _that," I heard him scold, but again he brought the phone back to his ear, _"Listen, Allen, tell her to come by but I might take a…a few seconds, okay?" _

"Is Kanda okay?" Just for the sake of asking.

"_If he isn't then he _will_ be." _I heard worry there; too, more definite than before, _"He's Yuu, after all." _

---------------------------------------------------------------

**No I am not that mean. –laughs- You will get an explanation during the next chapter of what happened with Yuu and Lavi. I'll say from what I have up of it so far (it's been VERY hard to write, mostly because of something I've observed, which worries me about one scene I should add in or not) it doesn't...I mean, it EXPLAINS stuff, but I'm really hesitant on how well I did. Like. It explains but at least to me I can see it doesn't explain anything. Maybe I'm unintentionally drawing it out longer, but it's all that felt like coming out at the moment. Thus...that's all that's there. But anyway...**

**Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? SEND IT VIA REVIEW (my School year is winding down now, but I'll have a severely busy summer coming up...so yes I'm VERY stressed at the moment. And writing helps relieve my stress. But it can also create it, especially since reviews obviously come along with it, and I'd LOVE to hear what people thing/know that they're enjoying this story. The only way I can figure that out is via review. Not Fav's. Or Alerts. Just...a note to the wise)**

**Now I'm heading off to bed...it hurts to breathe X.x -stupid chest pains acting up again-  
**

**-Till the next chapter (-gasp- it's actually NOT finished for once! But it's close...) **

**-Harmony283**


	27. Pinned

**Chapter 26 here, and…I'll have to say, I expected more from it, but apparently it didn't want to be written yet. Yes, it has more of an explanation for Kanda's side of things (like…a starting on who Rei is), but as for how that turns out, overall…I really don't know o.o(oh you also get a little blurb thrown in there with Tyki...he's in trouuuble XD)  
**

**Note: Since people basically gave a go ahead (and hey—got 10 reviews in basically a week, as opposed to the last chapter which only managed to gain 4 over 2 weeks XD –is happy about that-) there IS a certain…air of **_**fluff**_** in this chapter. Yet for some reason…I'm not sure how I did. It's not that I don't 'do' fluff (I have), I'm just…not really used to it yet, for this pairing, so it might seem a bit more serious…but I can't imagine them being overly fluffy. At least not yet, anyway XD**

**  
And of course, huge thank you to everyone who reviewed!**

**TokyoDarjeeling: **-laughs- I did it again? Wow, that _is_ a bit creepy, but in a good way! (Also interestingly ironic: My _sister_ broke HER glasses too—the frames, not the actual lenses—just by picking it _up_ XD). But I'm very glad it made your day that much better, that's always nice to hear! And of course, thanks so much for the awesome review! –hugs-

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**(Lavi's POV)**

So it'd be a little easier than I thought. Or maybe he gave up, but then, that wasn't like Yuu. Not that I minded, but, "First you need to _sit_." He blinked, slightly taken aback, "I said you needed to before, and I meant it." When I reached out to touch him, he almost jerked away, but tried to stop the motion all at the same time.

I dropped my hand when he turned away and moved, slowly, over to the couch. I had a feeling he didn't want me to sit next to him, so I didn't. Instead, I sat on the coffee table, sure there wasn't that much room but—but it seemed to help.

I heard him sigh, and mutter something akin to a curse in his native language. I didn't care to comment on it, though. He needed to start, he _had_ to. And he would. I knew he would. At his own pace, probably, but still.

But still—I should probably say something. The better part of me _wanted_ to. To let him know I'd listen and not, well, I'd _have_ to ask questions, but I'd let _him_ initiate them.

"Yuu," I started, and he tensed, "Look, Yuu, you asked what I wanted to know. But," I closed my one good eye, but I felt him shift. Maybe he was looking at me. "But I don't _want_ to ask you what _I_ want to know." And he was probably confused now, and, sure enough, he looked the part when I opened my eye again to look at him, "Look, I don't _want_ you to say everything. Just. Tell me what _you_ want to say."

And curse the almighty if he didn't look relieved at that. Sure it might've been easier for me to drone on in questions, but it wouldn't do _him_ any good. This was about _him_. Not me. About what _he_ wanted to say, not what was completely and entirely necessary. They'd only ask him as much, anyway. Yeah they'd call Bookman, yeah he'd do _something_. But—

Wait. Shit.

'_Hopefully Livvy doesn't get wind of this.' _If she did then—I swallowed thickly, and a pained look crossed Kanda's eyes.

She'd make him fucking _relive it_ with as much damn details as needed. Fuck. He didn't need that. _Fuck_—no one did.

"I…don't have to say who she is, right?" I blinked at the unsteady words that left his mouth. He still had that pained look in his eyes, but he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at a convenient spot on the floor. Maybe it helped him.

"Nah, y'don't." I relented, "We can come up with something plausible later." Because I knew I'd figure it out somehow. Or he'd slip up and say so himself. It always happened at some point. So. So be it.

He relaxed, but only slightly at this, "Okay. She." He stopped the words, exhaling, then inhaling, "I know her."

Of course, I had gotten _that_ much.

"My parents did too." He clasped his hands together, squeezing. I had the strange urge to reach across the gap and squeeze them too. "She—she _visited_ a few times. I remember that much."

Okay. So she might not be related—directly anyway. Maybe a relative though. Or a family friend. My mind immediately categorized.

"She didn't—didn't have much to do with me. She only came to visit…mother." He neglected to mention father. I mentally wrote that down as well, "But—she'd always notice me." His smile turned to a pained sarcastic, "Always said I was damn _girly_ too. The bitch." He didn't like her much. Not that it surprised me.

"Well, even Lenalee thought you were a girl, right?" I let out a chuckle, he just glared at me, but it helped him. Somehow, "Because Yuu-chan was _cute_ when he was little! I mean, c'mon." my laugh got a bit more natural, and relaxed just a bit more.

"Tch, whatever." He even passed it off in as good natured a way as possible, "She'd never tease me about it. She looked—look_s_ like a guy, too." So they were both guilty of a gender crisis. Nice. "But mother would…get upset if I said that. Sh-She always said I should be _proud_ of the way I look, so I…making fun of someone else for it was unacceptable." It was like a thorn in his side to say that, I could tell. Because he was remembering her now.

And curses if I didn't feel like shit for _wanting_ to know what that felt like, _'Caretaker after caretaker. Wonder what it feels like to actually be loved?' _Because I had no doubt that Kanda _had_ been loved. If it had anything to do with the way he was now.

"That makes sense, from what I've heard of her." I decided to say, and he gave me a look, "It's not much but, it's something to be proud of—I think. Because you _are_ good looking." I flashed a smile, he looked away. He didn't need me to say that, and probably I made it hurt a bit worse. But he knew that, and he probably needed that too. To get his mind off it.

"I didn't listen." He mumbled out, "because—she didn't listen either. And I didn't figure it out u-until a few years, but," he exhaled sharply, leaning back, "She stopped growing. They said it was a medical condition that—ran in the family." He looked up at the ceiling, for a few minutes, silent. When he found his voice again, though, I was—there was—something hidden in it that I—"But it didn't do a damn thing." It was almost tangible—the emotion there. This close to being tangible, but _just_ out of reach. "I…won't let it, anyway."

the back of my throat felt insanely dry. It hurt when I swallowed.

He looked at me, but only for a second, "She—the last time she came for a visit it was—it was right when I…first met you."

'_Oh shit.' _

I was next to him before I could so much as _blink_—hands on his shoulders, keeping _him_ grounded—seated—I had the distinct impression that if I didn't he'd—

'_He'd what?' _I didn't know, and I really, _really_ didn't want to find out.

**(Kanda's POV) **

His hands were on my shoulders, like that'd really help. Hell—well, it _did_, but, like I'd say that. I shivered, and he squeezed harder, murmuring, "Yuu," under his breath. And really, I couldn't give a damn.

I really

really

couldn't.

**(Lavi's POV) **

"Yuu?" I repeated, but this time he didn't do a thing. He just sat there, head bowed, looking like—looking like nothing. "Hey—hey Yuu," usually he'd at _least_ yell at me for saying his name so much. He hated it, after all, said we weren't 'that close'—or some shit.

He swallowed thickly, "You…do I…do I _have_…to explain?" I blinked, "Wh-what happened." Ah, he was continuing his story, "You know…pretty much _all_ of it—of it—"

"Do I?" I wondered, vaguely, "I…didn't know she came for a visit then." Because if she was anyone important then, was _she_ the reason why the fire was started? Did she _start_ the fire—or—?

He didn't respond to that, not immediately, anyway. He just stared, listlessly, again at that same spot on the floor.

"Kanda?" He jolted a bit when I sat down next to him—well, more like on the arm rest—"Yuu—hey, you have to, ah," How could I tell someone who wasn't even paying attention to me that they needed to continue? I sighed, "Look—Yuu, I really _wasn't_ lying when I said—"

He 'che'd' at me, "Move."

"What?" He looked up at me, briefly, and I scooted farther along the couch, giving him as much room as needed, "That better?" he didn't even bother nodding his head.

But he did start speaking again, "But you already know. She doesn't—you don't _have_ to know that. It's stupid." He paused, "And she ran away."

"And she ran away?" He nodded, then looked like he wanted to chop his tongue off, "I'd ask why, but, Yuu—"

His eyes snapped to mine again, "I told you. Everything." He almost sounded hoarse now, but I politely ignored it, "I _told_ you what I want to say."

"That's good." But I knew, in the back of my head, that it wasn't enough, "so…you think that's what they found out?" He blinked at me, "Y'know—they…they mentioned something about it, right? Looking up stuff?"

He looked away, "It's wrong."

Probably wasn't. But again, I kept my mouth shut.

"I don't _want_ them to…know _that_."

"But if they looked it up already, then they'll already know," I rubbed the back of my neck, leaning against the couch cushions, "Nothing we can do about that."

"It's wrong." He repeated, this time, keeling over a bit, head in hands.

That worried me.

Then a choked sob—

Okay, that _really_ worried me.

"Yuu?" I scooted closer, and reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Hey—hey, you going to be sick?" Because he was making short gagging sounds and—_'Why the fuck am I so calm?' _Because I was, and I was probably used to people reacting badly—because Bookman—Gramps—the Old Panda—was _not_ nice when he used to interrogate. If this was hard enough for Kanda then—"Shit," I tried to force him back up, but he wouldn't budge.

'_Shit, shit shit.' _

Then, faintly, I heard my cell phone ring.

And Ring.

And ring.

"Don't." He muttered, but I was already getting up.

"What if it's Allen?"

"The Moyashi?" He didn't sound like he gave a damn. I really didn't think he would, "Leave it."

"But—" arguing him over the use of _my_ cell phone was pointless. But, "I-I'll be right back." I turned, and hurried to my—err, _his_—room. It was still there, resting on the pillows. I had forgotten to grab it when I went to my room.

I reached out, and flipped it open.

But the number looked too familiar. Too familiar to be a home to a friend of Cloud's that Allen happened to be staying at.

It was _Tyki's_ number.

What--?

-------(**Tyki's POV**)-------

"_Look, right now isn't a great time to be calling." _Were the first words out of his mouth, crackled, and a bit breathless, on the other end of the line, _"Really, Tyki, could ya call back later?" _

"Oh? But," I ran my fingers through my bangs, leaning back against the gaudy elevator door, "Unfortunately it's quite important."

_"How?" _he sounded annoyed, and desperate.

"Do you know how to deal with kids?" I wondered, and for a moment there was silence. I assumed it to be a yes, "Well, we have an unidentified—okay, maybe not really—child here. Road picked him up apparently, and now she doesn't know what to do with him."

Another round of silence, but it was cut off early into response, "_And she called you?" _

"Yup."

He let out a barking laugh, _"Really, now? And you decided to call me?" _

"Exactly."

Another pause, then, _"Look, this really _is_ a bad time." _

"Why?"

_"Yuu is—ah, Kanda is—" _he caught himself at the last minute and groaned, _"Never mind, it's complicated. Look—you're good with kids too. You try to handle it. And _call me back later_—please. I—"_I heard a muffled voice in the background, then, _"Really, have to go." _

I didn't even get another word in. He _hung up_.

And then, the elevator stopped, on the floor that I needed. And when the doors opened, I was met with an interesting sight.

A kid, crying silently in the corner of the hall, Road coaxing him with candy, and Sheryl trying to load the fancy roll-cart thing with bags. He saw me first, and—instead of smiling—grimaced.

Then he asked, ever so slowly, "Were you just talking with the redhead?"

And I knew. I _knew_. I was in trouble.

Oh how wonderful.

-------(**Lavi's POV)-------**

"Tyki?" He croaked, looking half disgusted, "And you picked it up?"

"Sorry?" I actually felt it. Well. Sort of. "How was I supposed to know?"

He didn't respond to that, just…sort of stared at me, with a similar disgusted face.

"What? What if it had been Allen?"

"The number?"

Ah.

He didn't look like much of anything, as he looked away, eyes—eyes dead. Sort of. "Look, Kanda, he—" he shot me a look, and I shut up, but—but only for a second. "You really _are_ jealous, aren't you?"

Okay, well, maybe I hadn't meant to say _that_ but—it was none of his business, right? Or at least, that had been his mantra since I started—started—

"No." Or at least, he tried to say it, "Just."

"Just what?"

He exhaled, shuddering, just a bit. I almost didn't see it from where I was standing. That definitely wasn't a bad sign. "What, Kanda?" He shivered again, almost like he _expected_ me to say 'Yuu' and not 'Kanda' because maybe that _meant_ something to him.

I took a step forward, repeating the statement, "What, Yuu?" I still wasn't close enough to touch him, much less keep him from getting up and _trying_ to run. _'Run where?' _I had to wonder, but then, it didn't make a whole lot of sense to begin with. Unless he ran into the bathroom, but I was between him and there so that obviously wasn't a choice.

'_Though he could go out the front door too.' _Which would be _bad_ for a number of reasons—reasons I _wouldn't_ let happen.

Which is why I was behind him now, both hands, on both shoulders, forcing him back down on the couch. Or well, at least I tried—I could say. And maybe I succeeded except for the dirty look and the fact that my grip really _wasn't_ that tight. If he wanted to, he could shrug them off easily.

But he didn't. I doubted he was concentrating that much.

Well. At least. Not until—

-------(**Kanda's POV**)-------

"Get the fuck _off_ me." I hissed, trying—trying—the damn rabbit.

"I'm not _on_ you, Yuu." He retorted, squeezing his hands just a bit. Why didn't I shrug them off? Why? "So are you gonna say anything?" I glared at him and opened my mouth, "Other than insult me." He quickly added on, eye narrowing, just a bit, glaring at me.

He was serious. Fuck. Or maybe he was just—

"Why the _fuck_ should I? I _said_ everything?"

He exhaled loudly, "Yeah but—look—you _might_ have but," he paused, his good eye said something but I didn't know what, "we're not talking about _that_."

I glared at him again, and again he looked annoyed. I was annoying him. How nice. "Then what the fuck _are_ we talking about?"

"You're jealous." He stated it like it was a fact.

I turned my head away, "No."

"Then why'd you react that way?" his voice was quieter now, but—right in my ear.

I really _did_ shrug him off this time, maneuvering around the coffee table, giving us space, "I _didn't_ react. What the _fuck_ are you talking about?"

He seemed impressed—amused—hell, I couldn't read him right.

"Because you never cared before."

_Fuck, fuck, fuck_

"And you're caring now." He rubbed the back of his head, sighing, "Is wanting to know _why_ so bad?"

"It is when—" I snapped my mouth shut.

He blinked, "It is when _what_?"

I cursed, silently, under my breath, "Nothing."

"Yuu,"

I glared at him.

He glared right back.

"What?"

He took a step forward, I took a step back. His room was the closest place I could—_dammit_ but that would be—I turned my head away, towards the large window. The curtains were still drawn from the night before. Red and—

I hurried over to them, tugging one roughly to the side, enough so I could see out.

"Yuu," Lavi tried again, a moment later, and I heard him—come up _right_ behind me and—"do you _want_ me to…come up with my own reasons why?"

He rested one hand against the glass—above my shoulder—and I could see his reflection. He did _not_ look happy. But then, I never really _gave_ a damn about that.

Not that now would be any different.

Well.

Except—

I belatedly realized he had me pinned.

'_Dammit,' _That was _not_ what I wanted. At all. And there wasn't a damn fucking thing I could do about it either.

-------(**Lavi's POV**)-------

If this had been any other situation I would've been amused he hadn't seen it before hand. And, okay, maybe there _was_ a bit of amusement, but it lasted only for a second. Because _dammit_ if he wasn't scaring me. I was right when I knew he'd try to run and—_that_ would be bad. I knew it would be. If he succeeded, which is why I blocked him—

Well, okay, he could push me the fuck away if he wanted. I wouldn't be able to stop him and he _knew_ it—clocked me twice practically, already.

But

I _had_ to risk it. Being this close—I felt him tense, "Yuu," he was trying not to look at me, but I knew he saw my reflection in the window, "I _really_ don't think it'd be in our best interest for me to _make something up." _

He tensed even further.

I sighed, "I'm being serious. It won't do _me_ any good—cuz I won't be right—" even though I probably would be, to some degree, "and it won't do _you_ any good either."

He tried to glare at me, came out half assed. Along with his words—"It doesn't fuckin' _matter_." Because he didn't want to say anything.

I exhaled, loudly, "So you _want_ me to think he vandalized you in the worst possible way?" he tensed, even further, looking _shocked_—_shocked_—"Not that he could," I made sure of that, "But if he _did_ then what'd I say?"

He didn't want to say _that_ either and—suddenly I had the—the—

"Oh hell," better to play it up if it gets a response—or at least, that's what I _tried_ to tell myself—"did he _really_ do something to you?"

He hesitated.

'_Oh holy fuck.' _

He wasn't looking me in the eye.

"Yuu, _did_ he?" Okay maybe he was overreacting. He didn't like Tyki.

And I didn't like the thought of Tyki touching _him_—

'_How the fuck did we get on this topic?' _because it was a distracter and right now he thought he said enough.

"He—didn't." It took me a moment to realize he answered. It was too hesitant to appease all my worries though, dammit.

"Then what _did_ he do?"

He was silent, for a good minute, maybe—hell, it felt like longer—before slowly, slowly, he responded, "Where—was he? When he called?"

I blinked, "Eh?"

"The fucking _phone_." He hissed

"Ah," Right. _That_, "Actually—he didn't say." Or really—I hung up before he could.

He didn't look like he believed me, but then he didn't look like he wanted to talk about it much _either_. "Why?" I couldn't help but ask anyway—_just because_. It wasn't like him.

"Che," he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, like it hurt to think—which, he _hadn't_ been doing recently and—"_because_." Like that answered anything.

"Yuu," he didn't open his eyes, but he tried to turn his head. Kinda hard, since he could see me through the glass, still. I was literally _pressing_ him against it, after all.

And I really _really_ didn't need to think about it like that. Really. As in—really. I exhaled again, "_Yuu_," I repeated, "_why_ do you care where Tyki was? Did he—what? Run into last night?"

It was supposed to be a joke.

And this was the _second_ fucking _time_ I went and made it so_ not_ funny, _'I gotta learn some better jokes.' _But that wasn't the point now.

"He did, didn't he?" Because I knew no matter _what_ he wasn't going to answer—because he wouldn't fuckin' _worry_ over something like that. It wasn't something _Yuu_ would do. Except for—maybe now. He was on _edge_ he didn't want to talk—even if it _meant_ a distracter—which _meant_—

He tried to turn again. This time completely_ around_—_'Oh shit, oh shit,' _because that would be even _worse_ because of how close—and I didn't want him to escape—so I wouldn't _move_ but—if I didn't then—

I felt every movement. Every single one—and—maybe it was just by sheer luck, or the fact he really _was_ too skinny—but he managed it. Somehow. Now he was facing me. But that was _another_ problem. Entirely. And—

_Fuck._

He actually answered, "Might have." Well, it was the best I could get from him, and now I was sure he recognized how close we were. Because he _did_ and—It was doing crazy things to my brain. Again.

_Double Fuck_

Because I hadn't _meant_ to fall asleep next to him last night—and really, I hadn't _expected_ him to leak, even a little, about Rei—and—I'd be _lying_ if I said I didn't think Teidoll and Marie would probably drop by before I left—and—

He looked so damned un_nerved_ and it was all Tyki's fault.

And I was with Tyki to protect him, right? Well. I obviously wasn't doin' a good _job_ of it—

In the end I knew I'd blame that. Maybe.

Yuu never worried—thus, when he did, naturally, I wanted to get the worry _off_ his face. Out of his eyes, especially, and usually distractions didn't work. I'd have to do something extremely stupid to rip his attention away—

And that was my reason.

The reason I suddenly felt my mouth—on his—wet, and sloppy, and him _so_ inexperienced—but then he had just opened his mouth to say something else—so—

But really, it was _obvious_ he never kissed someone before, as I coaxed my tongue inside, and he nearly gagged—

_But_ it obviously—not the time.

Not the time to _teach_ him how to because—because—

I felt his teeth sink into my tongue, and immediately I jerked it back—tasting blood, immediately—and taking a step back for good measure. I opened my mouth to say something—_joke _about it—or something—but I saw his expression—and—

Well.

_Triple Fuck_

Did he—?

------------------------------------------

**Err—okkaaay…really, **_**really**_** had more planned for this chapter, BUT it's supposed to storm really bad this weekend, and I'm going to be busy with friends doing five projects (YES FIVE) for English class in celebration of Shakespeare's birthday, thus I might not be able to update next week (all things depending)**

**Thus you have a chapter now. But hey, it has something in it, right? (though it probably doesn't sound right on it's own. And it definitely didn't go as planned) but I promise I'll definitely work the next chapter. **

**OH AND! I also have another Poll up on my profile page! Please take a look! (I've also uploaded yet another piece of fanfiction, and I'd love reviews for that too! -has pretty much the same pairings as this, they just...don't become apparent till later-)  
**

**And AS ALWAYS: R&R! Tell me what you think of the fluff (since there WILL be more from this point on). I'd love to hear your opinion!**

**(and it's official…the weather gets all screwy and suddenly I can't breathe x.x –dies a little- gaaah)**

**-To those who celebrate it—Have a Happy (Early) Easter!**

**Harmony283 **


	28. Akahana

**Chapter 27 here. And--how long has it been since we've had a strictly Kanda POV? A long while, that's for sure. But it was needed, that's for sure. Especially considering this ENTIRE CHAPTER is a flashback, a very long, maybe slightly confusing one (and one that, again, extended past what I thought it would), but important none-the-less. And young!Kanda is cute. -wants to see him in the manga now-  
**

**Note: THIS CHAPTER WAS HARD. I will tell you that much. I actually REALLY liked what came out of it, but I'm still not 100% on some of the things I wanted to happen in Kanda's childhood. Thus, sure I worked with it a bit (see after the "OH AND"), though it still might seem like I'm leaving stuff out. And yes, there IS a time skip. And yes I leave Kanda's age out on purpose. -needs to find her notes on this, because they 'disappeared' on her-**

**OH AND:**

_italics --_current time frame

Regular --flashback (though of course _italics_ in the flashback are thoughts)

[--] --purposely left out words/phrases

**And again THANKS SO MUCH for the reviews! –bows head- I HAVE OVER 200 NOW! -gasp, gasp- You have NO idea how much I appreciate that!~ -hugs to everyone- (also this officially has more alerts/favs than another fanfic of mine, which makes me insanely happy!)  
**

**TokyoDarjeeling- **Seems FF's been acting up a lot lately o.o (though most of that is probably my fault internet connection now). That...whole glasses thing...that IS really creepy, actually. You're in sync without trying! -laughs- but yeah, last chapter it just felt like it needed to be in Lavi's POV (because Kanda really didn't...need to narrate that part. Really. he didn't). He gets his time to shine, though, in THIS chapter, so I suppose that makes up for it (considering also, he hasn't had his own POV...for an entire chapter...in a while). I'm very glad you like the way I portray all the characters (still), and thanks so much for the review! -hugs- I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

**Tokitoh-**I am not going to even ask how FF gimped that up XD (I mean I can understand it being one chapter off, but...-shakes head-) not that it matters, I didn't even look at the chapter number till you said it was for the wrong one. BUT ANYWAY Yes you ARE the 200th review! -hugs- I'm really surprised that this one has 200 and I'm not on chapter 30 yet, but then, I'm still happy regardless, since this is my 2nd fic to reach the 200 point. And of course, re-reading is definitely important so, yes I DEFINITELY suggest it (since those characters will be showing up again and such), but--but--I'm VERY glad you liked the last chapter. -was so nervous about writing the fluff because she wasn't sure they were 'ready' for it yet- As for Kanda and his difficulty about his past. It's the reason why last chapter was in Lavi's POV, and this one is in Kanda's (you'll see just how far he 'slips', I suppose you could say). And of course thanks so much for the support! It's because of that (and my friend's horrible procrastination abilities) that I was even able to write this! So Thank you VERY much for the awesome review! And I hope you enjoy this chapter too! -hugs-

**------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**(Kanda's POV) **

_Scalding. Something—something was scalding—and wet—and warm—over my head—_

_And I felt—heard—dull thudding—somewhere behind me. Maybe. _

_**Don't think. Don't think.**_

_But I _was_ thinking. _

_**Stupid Usagi. **_

_I didn't want to blame him though. But did he have to? To calm me down. Did he __**have**__ to—to—_

-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- --

"So your name's Yuu?" She had said it like grating nails, and the stupid ball was at her feet.

"Kanda." I corrected, immediately, out of habit.

And she laughed, but it sounded hallow, "Why your _last_ name? Doesn't that get confusing?" But she wasn't smiling now.

I was confused, but—

"No."

She kicked the ball—it rolled into the street. She didn't seem to care, and then—she looked back at me—"Well I think it is. Can't I call you, Yuu?"

I blinked.

She blinked.

Then, she sighed, "You're boring."

"Sorry?" I didn't feel it though.

"But your mom and dad are nice," I stiffened—_what?—_"So I guess I'll play with you." She looked towards the street—_'What? Play? What?'—_the ball was there, on the side, near the curb. "We could play with that ball." She said, like she hadn't seen me playing with it earlier, "Go get it."

I bristled, "You kicked it."

She blinked again, "So?"

"You get it." Because I wasn't about to let her _boss_ me around. Getting bossed around wasn't good—dad always said so. Always.

"Why? It's your ball." She said it flatly—flat—it wasn't normal. But she couldn't be—with the way she was _looking_ at me.

"But you kicked it."She looked at me like she thought I was stupid.

I did _not_ like that.

"It's your ball." She insisted almost like she noticed—

"And you're the one who kicked it in the street."

She scowled, "If you don't get it, then I won't play with you."

_'What?' _I wanted to laugh but something stopped me. Maybe I could _try_ being nice, "Never said I wanted to." Well, that wasn't nice but dad would have said—talking to a girl like that wasn't _tactful_. Whatever that meant.

"But—" she started, then paused, and sighed.

"What?"

"Your parents asked me to." She was looking at the ball again, but—not like she _cared_.

But then—

'_Oh.' _

Wait.

But—

"How do you know my parents anyway?"

She raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because." I paused at the sound of a truck—it drove by, far enough from the curb, but I watched the ball roll a bit. It hit a bottle with a worn Pepsi label on it. Probably fell out of the green thing**(1)** earlier.

"Because why?" She repeated, "I know them for the same reason _you_ do."

"But they aren't _your_ parents."

"Maybe." And she smiled, but again, I didn't like it, "They _did_ ask me to play with you though."

"But I don't want to."

She looked like she wanted to pout, but her mouth only twitched—at the corners. She _definitely_ didn't remind me of Lenalee. Not. At. _All_.

-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - -

"_Yuu." I wanted to say shut the __**fuck**__ up to whoever that was—but I didn't. _

_The burning got hotter—somehow—I was gripping something. Too. Maybe. _

_And I had a taste in my mouth I wanted to get out. _

_If he was going to do __**that**__ then maybe I should warn him next time—not to use whatever he had—_

_But it wasn't like he would. _

_And my grip tightened_

_And the water got hotter…_

_-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - -_

"So you…do know each other?" I blinked, confused, mother just smiled—and dad just did that _look_ he had, that I never quite got.

"Yes we do." Mother explained, plainly, placing a hand on my forehead, "She's [-- -- --]."

I blinked, "What?"

But the 'me' then knew what she said.

And the nodding in affirmation made too much sense, "Yes, she is. I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner. Her visit was so abrupt." She turned, and I didn't get it. She looked almost annoyed, in that…_way_ of hers. That was calm and so completely un-angry that you wouldn't think—

"Yes it was." He exhaled, "[-- -- --] needs to have more tact, though. We've already—" he paused

And I was vaguely aware I was missing a word again.

_Why? _

Then, he rubbed his forehead and immediately stood from the table. Like it pained him. Sort of. But he _did_ get bad headaches.

Mother stood up with him, "Oh dear, another busy day at work?"

I opened my mouth to ask where he worked—but—I had the feeling he wouldn't answer.

Dad was like that sometimes. All I could do was _try_ to stay out of the way.

"Yuu-chan," mother looked at me, "Please bring some tea?"

But I didn't know—

"Don't worry, I've already poured a glass," she smiled, because she _knew_ I didn't like the stove. Something bad always happened with stoves. Or—the boys at school were lying. But they lied a lot. I wasn't surprised. And it was summer now—almost—I wouldn't think about them.

"Just bring it to our room." She hummed, and I knew she meant he'd be in the Study again. She even asked him, "You'll be in the study again, won't you?" He nodded his head, she sighed in the calm way she had, "Looking over [-- -- -- --]?"

Another nod, but I turned away at this point. I didn't think I knew what they were talking about—even the 'me' then probably didn't.

I was _just_ a kid.

After all.

And I saw—in the kitchen—the cup, filled with the tea dad always drank. Green Tea. I wasn't used to the taste yet, mother always said it was something you _grew into_ after all.

"But if it makes your headache worse," I heard mother scold when I reached up and took the glass—I was getting taller now. I was [--] years old, after all. I _was_ tall and—"

I think I swallowed too much air. But I ignored the painful feeling, scurrying into the living room.

Mother was kissing him on his forehead, standing on her tip-toes to reach, because she was short. She pulled away from me, and whispered something, "[-- -- -- --], right?"

"Just a phone call." He smiled. And mother saw me—and coaxed me, over to them.

She didn't take the cup from me, when I extended it to her. Instead, she made me follow them, to the end of the hall—to their room, which was always oddly dark for _some_ reason. And it would have made me uncomfortable but I _remember_ liking the dark then.

Maybe.

But I was never allowed into the study. Even as mother turned to me, and instructed me to _place_ the tea just so—and I smelled the over powering smell of [-- -- -- --]

A word I couldn't remember.

-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - -

_The knob wasn't turning anymore. But I thought another one was. And._

_The scalding heat remained the same. But wet. And I still had that taste in my mouth. _

_**IGNORE**_

_That thought was too loud_

_**IGNOR**_

_And the banging was too, the stupid fucking rabbit._

_**IGNO**_

_But he couldn't get in because we had agreed that the door would remain locked. Not because he was—well—_that_—but—because—_

_**IGN**_

_Because there weren't doors._

_**IG**_

_Simply said_

_**I**_

_What was that word again? _

-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - -

What did that guy Turner**(2)** have to do with anything?

They tried to explain again, "That's why she keeps coming here." Mother was failing because she didn't know the right words for it.

I was [--] years old now, and they didn't know how to explain it.

"She needs to visit a special doctor for _checkups_."

I was pretty sure it wasn't checkups.

Checkups were for people who only needed them occasionally.

"But dad took her again," maybe I said that, or something like it, "it's the third day she's been there."

Her face softened, "You're worried?"

I shook my head. The look faded, "You should be."

"Why?"

"Because she's—[-- -- -- --]."

"So?"

Something flashed in her eyes. But I didn't read it, "You should. It's the human thing to do."

At that point I _would have_ said 'so what's human?'

But the 'me' now would have said that. Not the 'me' then. And I was confused—

"Okay." I said, instead.

She relaxed, but didn't say anything. Instead she simply smiled and pushed herself off the soft grass—where we had been waiting. For a moment I wondered where she'd go, but then, she jerked me up too—

"There they are." She called, and waved. I didn't want her to wave—especially when I saw them.

She—that girl—kept dressing like a boy now. Though I'd only seen her at the airport when we went to pick her up. A baggy shirt, shorts, and a baseball cap.

Her hair was cut short too. To her ears.

I scowled.

She attempted to smile, but she didn't run. Dad stopped her, with a hand. And—instead she yelled, "Your hair's longer than mine!"

I bit my lip.

'_No. no. No.' _

She was turning _into_ them too. I didn't need more of that. Not when I was finally out of school—and my birthday was in a week.

Then they reached us and—she reached out and—_tugged_—"Let's play ball!"

Even though the ball we always played with had been popped a long time ago.

I made sure of it.

-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - -

"_Yuu." I was soaked through, probably. "Shit if you don't open up I'm callin' the landlady." Like she'd really have a key. Which she probably would. Probably._

_I didn't think he'd wait that long, though. Stupid impatient Rabbit._

_Stupid impatient Lavi._

_Red head._

_Dick-head _

_I'm rhyming now? _

_I opened my mouth to laugh, but felt water—and warmth, not so warm anymore but—_

_The smell of heat. _

_Shit. _

_Shit._

_Shit._

_And a door opening. Wonderful. _

-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - -

I hated red heads. I really, _really_ did. Especially ones like the person in front of me. Grinning like an idiot and—what was that word? Komui had used it and Tiedoll and Dad had freaked out on him for it—

[-- -- --]? Maybe.

"Hey, Hey Yuu!" The redhead called, "Wait up, would ya?" He was panting but probably because it was hot. You didn't run when it was _hot_. That was _stupid_.

But his footsteps didn't slow—and suddenly I felt a pair of arms loop around me—and I staggered and—we both—_fell_—to the side—not on the pavement and—

"Yuu, Yuu,"

"Don't _call_ me that!" I shoved him off me—into a patch of clovers, and other nature crap. Why did _everything_ have to bloom so close to my _birthday_? I hated it. More people were out than usual.

"But why _not_!" The redhead whined, rubbing his nose and—_he's got a dirt stain now—_but I didn't care to point it out, "It's your name, isn't it?"

"Call me Kanda."

"And that's your last name." He pointed out.

"I _know_ that."

"Then it's Yuu."

I glared.

He looked taken aback, for about half a second. Then smiled.

It made me look away. Smiling. Only mother smiled at me. Dad too—when he wasn't busy rubbing his forehead—or working or—

Wait.

_Summer_

Meant

That _other_

Smile

Too.

I sighed, "Whatever."

"I can call you Yuu, then?" he sounded accomplished.

"_No_." I shot him a glare. It didn't faze him in the least. In the _least. _"What's up with you?"

He blinked, "Eh?"

"Everyone calls me Kanda."

He blinked again. Still lost. Looking.

"Call. Me. Kanda."

"Call. Me. Yuu." He repeated, cocking his head to the side, "Okay, I can do that!"

I shoved him, he fell back on the grass again. I stood before he could, "I _said_** Kanda**, not—not—"

I felt myself choke.

On my _own damned name_

Instead of finishing my statement, I turned on my heels and walked away from him, back onto the hot pavement I could feel through my sneakers.

"But Yuu!" He walked along side me for as long as he could before the metal gate got in the way. Then he was on the concrete too, even though he wasn't wearing shoes. He'd have to go back and get them.

"But _nothing_." I snapped, "Do you _want_ to get hurt?"

Then he smiled—and said the _oddest_ thing—"If it's Yuu, I don't mind."

I couldn't even form a—or wait—I _could_—

"[-- -- --]!" I shouted, and—he looked_ shocked_—and then—

I took off. Towards my house—panting—hard—halfway through—

Because you really _weren't_ supposed to run during summer. It was stupid and—

And—

It was because it was _hot_ and—

You should also _not_ do other things. Too.

Because they were just so stupid—too.

Like starting fires.

Or Going Camping.

Mostly starting fires. The kids at school did that too much—whenever they stole a lighter from the teacher—they would. But then the teacher would get mad and take the lighter back eventually.

Still. Fires weren't meant to be in summer. It made things worse.

So—

So _why_

Was there a _fire_—a _fire_—

Now?

And I saw—before I ran in—I _saw_ and I thought it was—but it _wasn't_ and—

-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - -

_The water wasn't so warm anymore, but I could still feel the steam. And maybe a pair of hands jerking me back—saying something like—_

"_You're crazy." But not in the angry way._

_Not like the doctors had said when I had run to the fire. Not like—_

_But he wasn't like them. _

_He was stupid. _

_And he had red hair._

_(That didn't matter though. It __**didn't**__) _

_-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - _

She was standing in front of me. But she _couldn't _be.

I was in the backyard—flames behind me and—I had _run through the house_—because mother, and dad were in there somewhere. But the smell made me sick. And I was standing with disgusting stuff in front of me.

And she was sitting there, blankly, staring at me like she had—with the deflated ball in her hands.

"You're here." She sounded dazed, like she didn't know what happened.

"Mom and Dad." I said. I remembered saying, "Where are they?" even though I knew they were inside. I was young. I _had_ to think they were somewhere else.

Because it snapped her out of it. And kept me [-- --] but that was a word I heard once—from dad talking to mother—a conversation I shouldn't have heard but did anyway.

"Inside." She pointed to the blazing building behind me, "Probably dead."

I blinked. Feeling—the burning ashes smoking—bothering my eyes to tear up—"Wha—wha—"

She didn't bother to let me say anything else. She backed away—but moved forward, "Yeah. Inside." Forward, she decided. Taking a few steps forward, "_burning_ I hope."

"Wh-wh—"

"Why?" she offered for me.

I just swallowed. I felt—the burn—against the back of my throat again. I wanted to gag.

"Because humans burn. Everything burns."

I opened my mouth—then closed it again—

She stopped me from falling in my own throw-up, though, scrunching her nose, "But humans smell the worst, y'know? I didn't think they _would_, but he was right about that."

Burning. Back of throat. I was _going_ to throw up.

"Don't." she saw it too, "or at least look away—that's even _more_ gross. Y'know? And I thought _I _was bad." She stroked the side of my face—that made me want to throw up _faster_—

But she didn't _let_ me. She pushed me _closer_ to her and I could feel the smile—pressing against my neck and I felt so _gross_ and—

"Yuu," she was looking up at me—I was an _inch_ taller now, I mean—and then—"or should it be Akahana?"**(3) **

I blinked.

"You're hanging out with one now." She sounded dejected, but felt no _need_ to explain—

But—

"No I'm—"

"You _are_." She spat, venomous, "Well guess _what_?"

I blinked—

She leaned forward—

Lips—_lips_—

"You _taste aweful_ too." She spat, sticking her tongue out, "but I guess I _should_ kiss you."

My stomach churned and—

"Just because—your next one probably _will_ be from a guy. Ah-kah-HAH-nah"

Then she shoved me back.

Against the _house_ the—_burning_ house—the _still open_ door and—I stumbled back—and inhaled smoke and—

"They're in your papa's study, by the by."

She didn't sound like her.

I felt tears—prick—at my eyes and—

_Too much smoke._

_Too much—_

And I—

-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - -

"_Don't ask questions." Ceiling. I was staring at ceiling. Familiar ceiling, in a place with a familiar smell._

_With a familiar voice talking to someone outside the room._

"_But is Kanda alright?"_

_"He will be." _

_I blinked, and started to focus. I saw lights too—and I was laying on something that felt—not like a mattress but—_

_The couch?_

_And I had a towel being used—as a pillow, or something. It was damp, though._

"_How do you know?"_

_"Just do." Yes. Familiar voice. Baka Usagi. "But you can tell now _isn't_ the best time."_

_"No. I think it is." Marie tried to protest, "I—"_

"_You what?"_

_"Just wanted to," he exhaled, "No. That wouldn't do any good. I guess I _will_ come back later."_

_"I guess you will." Just as bitter._

"_I just thought—" another pause._

_Another, "thought _what_?"_

_"I could help." He sounded—what? Sad? Regretful? What?—_

"_By figuring stuff out online." Sarcasm. _

"_Not just that." He tried to redeem himself, "I _wanted_ to help."_

_"Then why the fuck didn't you ask him first?" more venom mixed in with the sarcasm, "You aren't doin' a damn fucking thing 'cept makin' it that much worse." More slur, too, I almost didn't recognize him._

"_And you did?"_

_"Yes."_

_And then—"He…told you?"_

_"What do you think?"_

_Silence._

_Silence._

_Then—_

"_So he chose you." I heard a pair of footsteps—but the ceiling was getting blurry again, and I couldn't tell if they were coming closer or not. "To save him?" the voice concluded._

"_Save him?" Another biting laugh, "I don't want to save him. He'll save his damn _self_ if he needs to."_

_"Then—"_

"_I'll just be here." Resolutely, and I was sure he didn't know I was awake—but I wasn't—not—not really._

_"I'll just be here to help because I—" then. He choked on the words, and quickly—quickly replaced them—with—"just get the hell out."_

_"Lavi."_

_"Get."_

_And—the footsteps—they _were_ retreating. I think. Maybe._

_Then the door. Closed. And Locked. And—_

_A thump. Loud._

_"Fuck." Lavi—the idiot—what did—"I almost said it." No more biting. No more—whatever it was—just—_

"_And I won't. Not yet." Resolute. An exhale—_

"_Not. Yet." _

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**(1)-**Rather elaborate way to say 'Trash Truck' or even 'Trash can', whichever you think fits.

**(2)-**This is in reference to **Turner Syndrome** a genetic condition in females that is caused by a 'missing' or 'abnormal' X-chromosome. Girls with this syndrome are normally short, and don't undergo 'normal' sexual-development, because those parts –cough- don't function normally. This is my explanation on why Rei looks like a kid when they see her, even though she's roughly the same age as Kanda.

**(3)-**Akahana is the nickname Rei will refer to Kanda by (at some points), though it's a reference to Lavi, more or less, as well (Since it roughly means Red Rose, or "bright red flower"—and Lavi has red hair. Though it also references a yukata that Kanda wore to a festival once that she attended with him…though I'm not sure if I'll do anything with that idea, so I'll leave it at that).

**Yes you may take Rei's relation to Kanda any way you want. I still really don't know myself (well, okay, I do but…) I love the ambiguity of it. Makes life more interesting that way, no? **

**Also I'm highly, highly amused by DGM's most recently released chapter. FINALLY we get to know more about Kanda (funny how I kept mentioning to people how we **_**don't**_** know anything about him. Then bam, there it is…) which, oh yes, brings up: I uploaded a oneshot on here (called Pride) based off of some predictions of mine (though all fictional, at this point)--I'd like for people to read it, and tell me what they think! (If I should make it into a 'two-shot' -though right now it's a unanimous 6 votes saying YES) -also thanks everyone who DID review for that one-  
**

**-cough- ANYWAY, Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review! I would love to hear from you!**

**(and now I'm going off to bed XD it's 2:50 AM in the freakin' morning…I should **_**not**_** be up!)**

**-also just realized- in 2 days this fic will be 1 year old O.O  
**

**-Much Love**

**-Harmony283**


	29. Trust?

**I'm not sure what happened to this chapter. Really, I'm not. But—to hell with it. You get another flashback scene, which takes up the majority of this chapter XD (though thankfully not **_**all**_** of it). Though I will say: the beginning is in Tyki's POV. It brings up (vaguely) the incident that happened in the prolog/1****st**** chapter. If you don't remember it, then it might do some good to go back and re-read it. To at least get the setting I've got Lavi's POV in here...as a sort of transition to get to Kanda's POV. -nods-  
**

**Note: Lavi's POV is ****NOT SUPPOSED TO MAKE SENSE****. You'll see when I get there, but he's constantly thinking about what happened, what's going to happen, and he's getting the tenses screwed up (do I need to explain why?). Just a forewarning. Also for a time reference: The whole last chapter happened within the 4 hour gap that was when Allen was 'sleeping' (before he made his phone call to Lavi), and at the end of this chapter you see the phone call brought up again. Sorry for any confusion that might've brought up**

**  
Oh and Notes again (for Kanda's POV only) are the same as last chapter: **

_Regular _– normal (current) timeframe

Regular – flashback

**Reviews: (THANKS SO MUCH AGAIN for them! This is seriously making me very happy right now XD)**

**TokyoDarjeeling: **Teh, it seems I'm unintentionally lining up my updates with the manga (well, close enough, anyway), though that's probably for convenience sake...-since her weeks are like...gone now- But regardless, I'm very happy you like the way I handeled the flashback scene (I wasn't sure how I did), and I hope you like this one too (considering I wasn't even thinking of putting it in, but I liked the idea enough, so I'm...not too surprised? XD)! And of course, thanks so much for the review! -hugs- it means a lot~ (especially with exams around the corner . -must make a B in French, she definitely MUST- )

-------**(Tyki's POV)-------**

And he knew, when he looked at me—_dammit_ it, for brotherly-bonds—that I had been talking to said-red head.

"Well," I shrugged, "You _did_ just call me out of the blue about," my eyes trailed to the boy, who was sniffling now, with a piece of Road's candy in his hand, "and he's _quite_ good with children." And I had the distinct feeling Road was trying _not_ to look at me. Like maybe this was her fault. Or—or maybe something else that I couldn't quite place.

Because she _knew_ so much, after all.

"Really?" Thick and suspicious and that was _not_ good, "Is he on his way over now?"

"No," I answered, "He didn't even pick up." Okay, that was a lie, and Road saw through it—maybe.

"Smart move," Sheryl let it slide though, thankfully. "But you still _tried_ to call him." He wouldn't let _that_ go, though, I grimaced.

"Well, I'm sure he would have helped." I eyed the boy on the ground, I recognized him, if not only vaguely.

"And _why_ would he have helped?"

I noticed Jasedero and Devit poking their heads out of their room—one yawning, the other looking peeved and just a bit de-shelved. I made the mental note _not_ to ask.

"Tyki?" demanding, I switched my attention back to brother-dearest-

"W_ell_," I paused, just to take in his expression again. Yup. _Not_ a happy camper, "He's good with kids? _You're_ good with kids?" Well—at least somewhat anyway—"Why'd you have to call me?"

"Because," terse, and he was still angry. But I should be thankful—maybe—that he wasn't as easy to de-hinge as Skinn. I grimaced inwardly at the thought. The lunatic—"I would appreciate it if you gave me your undivided attention be_fore_ I say this," he snapped, and I turned my attention back, "you didn't pick up, yesterday, for one."

I blinked, "Eh? When'd you call me?"

"Around Midnight." He responded—_like that was normal_

"I was out."

he scowled, "Doing _what_?" He was going to rant about unnecessary attachments, wasn't he? This was _where_ that was going, right?

"Doing my job?"

He stared at me. "Really?" I nodded my head, "At midnight?" another nod, then, "Goodness, you must've scared him out of his _wits_ then."

I shrugged, "I'm not even sure he entirely _saw_ me."

"He was out of the building?"

"Taking out the trash."

"But the trash doesn't go on—" he cut himself off, shaking his head, "Then tell me, if you _did_ see him, and he _was_ taking out the trash, did—"

"He looked annoyed." I answered back—fully aware that Jasdero and Devit were leaning against their door, and Veronica was walking over to the boy now, like she thought she'd have better luck comforting him. But then _she_ was good with kids, so—

"Anything else?" Sheryl noticed me staring. "After all, doesn't he room with that red-head?"

"He does." I quickly agreed, trying to recall—I was _sure_ he hadn't seen me, after all I had stayed near my car. And it was dark. And my car was _black_, so—"He might've been upset about something, but I'm pretty inclined to not guess."

"Just like you oh so _weren't_ inclined to guess about the wonderful _traffic incident_ they both got involved in—_until_—the red head told you about it?" **(1)**

I blinked.

He stared.

"Well, he _did_ have to call me, to give them a ride to school." I answered, choosing my words carefully, "But I did see them walk out of the Police Station—right after it happened."

"And what did you do?"

_'Tried to call him.' _But if I said _that_ I'd be in trouble, "I followed. Lavi was with him the whole time though, and I think he guessed—"

"And how did he guess?"

It was lame, and I knew it, but I said it anyway, "I don't know?"

_Now_ he looked a bit more like the person he was _supposed_ to be. But he kept it in, probably—maybe—because _Road_ was looking at us again (Veronica, half shielding both of them, because _maybe_ he mentioned something to her before hand, or maybe because she was just _like_ that—without giving a damn).

"Brother," he started, and I gritted my teeth, but kept my face _calm_, if I reacted now then—"I'd_ love_ to believe you, you _know_ I would. But, unfortunately you're making it too hard to believe." I had the urge to lick my lips—or distract myself, somehow, but I _didn't_, "I _understand_ that those two are roommates—childhood friends, even. Your goal is to simply _watch _the one named Kanda—there's _nothing_ in that agreement that mentions _anything _about the redhead."

He exhaled, and before I could get a word in, continued, "Not that I don't see any issues befriending _him_ to get on Kanda's _'good side' _but, quite honestly, at this point it's detrimental to the _assignment_."

Coded words. Lovely, lovely, coded _fucking_ words.

"Well I certainly don't mean for it to." And I could tell from the look on his face that I _should have_ just kept my mouth shut. Really.

"I'm certain you don't." Liquid poison. Almost, "But it _has_ become an _issue_, and I certainly don't want you to get _caught up_ _in_ whatever meager role he plays." Emphasis, too, on pointed words that I knew he _had_ to mean something by.

But—_was it just me_?—did he—sound _nervous_?

Devit was eyeing him too at his—I wouldn't call it a _slip up_ but it almost seemed like it. He was nervous of the redhead, but—_why_?

A flash of a room, with overturned desks—and Lavi, _bleeding_—entered my mind—and his…_expression_—his—

Or, well, no. He had a reason to. Just, "brother," I exhaled, "I don't think it _would_ be horrible if I talked to him, after all, do you know how long he's been friends with Kanda?" He thought that over, before shaking his head. He didn't look like he'd believe me, though, and I almost dropped it—_just because of that_—

But. I didn't.

"Since he was eight years old." I explained, "A month before their home burned down, and his parents died."

Ah. _Recognition_. But not the kind I wanted.

---------------------------------

**(Lavi's POV)**

It took me a moment before I registered much of anything, from the fact he _didn't_ hit me—or react, well, _at all _for the first couple of minutes—to the fact that he hightailed it to the bathroom, and the fact that I _knew _I was going to have to pay for the lock to be repaired.

But then, maybe we really _shouldn't_ have locks in the apartment. Doors are fine, but _locks_—could be bad. Very bad. They already were. But at least I didn't have to worry about him doing anything stupid.

Scalding himself with hot water, yeah, but that was better than anything _else _he could do. Everything else given.

And, hey, he didn't struggle—once I had time to actually _think_ about it—when I dragged him out of the shower, and turned the water off. Sopping wet, yeah, but he didn't even protest _then_—when I changed his clothes.

It almost made me panic for a completely _different_ reason.

But now. Now I could just sit here—and _stare_.

Because it'd been an hour, since I laid him down here. He wouldn't yell at me for watching him, right? Right?

especially with how much he was twitching. Or had been, he looked like he just _might_ wake up. But that always meant something else. I knew it did.

Like the guy trying to barge right in—like _Marie_ going on and on about how _worried_ he was—was that a few seconds ago? I couldn't remember—but Kanda was blinking now, _Yuu_ was, but he didn't seem awake yet—which was _good_—

And he said he _chose_ me?

What the _fuck_ was that about?

Yuu didn't do a damned thing. I forced myself on him, and maybe that was _bad_ but Yuu was Yuu and—I couldn't help but watch him. Maybe it was because of that, but it wasn't his fault.

'_Whose fault, then?' _

Mine.

Of course it was.

I would've laughed if it had the chance of waking him up, but I didn't. I kept my mouth _shut_, because he was blinking now—still dazed—and I could tell that Marie had probably woken him _up_ and I didn't like him for that. Or maybe I did, because I _was_ worried enough.

But to blame Yuu. To say _Yuu_ Chose Me. When I chose him to begin with?

How _twisted_ was that supposed to be?

He didn't have to choose me. I'd be his shield regardless. I just wanted to help. Did he have to tell me? No. I was glad he did, sure, but—but—

He didn't _have_ to.

I clenched my hands into fists, feeling the blunt nails dig into my skin, but I didn't want to draw blood. Not with Yuu lying there, looking like he wasn't _here_ to see it.

No. _Not_ to see it—I mentally shook that thought away—I'd smile, probably, when he woke up. That's why I was standing in front of him. Sitting, actually, but. That didn't matter.

I unclenched one hand enough to reach out—and grab, a strand or two, of his hair. It was wet still, I hadn't looked at a clock to see how long he was in there. It might've been a while. He looked tired, I wanted to say something like—"Go back to sleep" or, "You look sleepy Yuu-chan! It's still early, go back to bed!"

But he didn't look like he was ready for it.

Because.

I wasn't an idiot.

Bringing up old memories. That's probably what would cause them—the nightmares he was sure to have if he shut his eyes. The ones he probably remembered but tried to forget.

Because I _asked_.

How can—bringing that much _pain_—how can that—but it was needed. And he—I guess he trusted me enough.

'_Can he?' _

Could he?

I didn't know.

I squeezed those strands of hair, and watched the water, drip out, between my fingers, to the wood floor.

'_Can you trust me?' _Because I knew so much more than him, _'I'm doing everything for you, y'know?' _

With Tyki. And the fact he wants _you_ but the fact that he's got _me_ instead.

'_I'm putting myself in that position because of you.' _

Because I want to be trusted by him.

But I don't want him to trust me. Not that way.

'_It doesn't make sense.' _

I felt the hair tug, a little, away from my grip, and now his eyes were focusing on me, or trying. Obsidian with a hint of grey. A terribly neutral color that wouldn't have been attractive if it wasn't on _Yuu_ _Kanda_.

But it was. So. It didn't matter.

I tried to put on a smile, though I didn't think he'd see it. Not enough for it to mean anything, anyway. But then—_maybe he did_—because his eyes widened, just a little, and he tried to sit up—tried to sit up, with foggy looking eyes and—

He was remembering something again.

Well.

_Shit_.

"Yuu?"

-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - -

"Your hair's longer than mine." She repeated, and I tried to ignore her, sitting there, next to me, "Why do you keep it so long?"

I didn't feel like explaining, so I shrugged, and took another sip out of my juice box.

"Hey, hey," she tried again, "Why is your hair so long?" I heard her before I felt her—tangling her hand in my hair. I jerked away, and tried to ignore the sting. I was pretty sure she had yanked some hair out. "It's all soft too," she pointed out, and her hand was _right back there_ again.

"Get your hand out of my hair."

"Why?"I glared back at her, and she blinked—innocently enough—placing her juice box on the table behind her, "I _want_ to."

"I _don't_ want you to."

"Well I do." She spat back, her free hand reaching up to her own hair—short and messily cut, like whoever did it didn't give a damn. "And I'm bored."

"Go be bored by yourself."

"But I don't _want_ to be bored."

I rolled my eyes, "So?"

"Make me _un_-bored."

I raised an eyebrow, but didn't look at her. "Why should I?"

"Because I'm [-- -- -- --]! That's why!"

That bothered me. Really. Really. Bothered me.

"So you _have_ to." She got that easily enough.

"No. I _don't_. Just because you're, [-- -- -- --] doesn't mean I have to do a damn thing." I jumped off the chair I had been sitting in and moved across the room, throwing my juice box in the trash. I wasn't thirsty anymore.

"You're mean."

"You're a [-- -- --]."

She raised an eyebrow at that, "You know that word?"

I shrugged, "Maybe."

"Well, then you're a [-- -- --] too. You even look like one." Dead panned tone.

What the—

"No I'm not."

"Yeah you are." She slid off her chair too, and before I could move, her hand was in my hair again. She was tugging it. She was pulling it—and my arm—"See I can even _show_ you."

"No you—" I tried not to wince when she tugged my hair even harder—making it sting even more. I tried to push her away, but her grip just tightened and—

'_What's with girls and nails?' _

"Yeah I can." She laughed, and—she—_let go_? "Your mom's got it somewhere right? Right?"

"Got what?"

"A-whatever-it's-called."

"A what?" I followed her as she disappeared around the corner. I didn't trust her. Not when it was just us in the house (though mom _was_ outside. I could just run in and get her. But I wouldn't—and I didn't know why)

"Starts with a Y." I caught up with her in time to see her disappear into my room—my _closet_—"Um, um," I heard a loud _thump_ and I almost wished something fell on her—if I knew she wasn't just going to blame me for it.

_Without saying a word_.

I really didn't get her. She was _nothing_ like Lenalee. Heck. Lenalee _cried_ if I tugged her hair, or said something _mean_. This girl just—

"Found it!" she never sounded excited about anything either. But she did sound hurt. Strained? Was it? Something.

I peered into my room long enough to see her drag out the box.

Oh.

_That_

Box.

"See?" she didn't even smile as she removed the lid and jerked the cloth out—

"Yukata?"

"Yeah that." She held it as far out from her as she could, "Your mom showed it to me. Said you'd wear it."

"I won't." Hands down. It was a—_girls_—design. Really.

"It's got Roses on it." She held it towards me, "_Roses_. They're red."

"And?"

Roses were red.

"Violets are blue." She lowered her voice.

_But they're purple._

"I'm wearing the one with violets on it." She immediately agreed—or—like I didn't have a _choice_. "And you'll be Rose boy."

"No I won't." I wasn't going to wear one, "dad said I didn't have to." Because this was a multicultural festival—in the _USA—_most people wouldn't _have_—

"Yeah you will."

"No—" she threw the cloth at me, and I somehow managed to catch it.

"Yeah you will."

"Why?" I dropped the cloth on the floor.

"Because—I've given you a nickname." I blinked, she smiled, "Akahana."

-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - -

"_Hey, hey, you wanna lay down?" The __**red**__ head asked._

_Wasn't I already?_

"_Well, you are," He seemed to realize this too, and laughed. "I meant—your room. Do you want—to go to your room?" _

_I didn't think I could respond if I tried. But then—I didn't have to. The phone rang._

-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - -

"We're supposed to be having fun." She tugged on my sleeve, "Oh _come on_ Akahana! No one will _recognize_ you, y'know."

"Yes. They. Will." Because I had just seen three classmates run by. They would tease me. I knew they would, and my parents would be there—and I couldn't move very well anyway.

"Oh but your mom's dressed up too! And so am I!" it was hilarious to argue with someone who did _not_ have _any_ emotion _what so ever_ in their voice.

"You're both girls." Was my comeback.

"So? You look enough like one." I rolled my eyes, and she 'got it', "Is that why you don't want to go?"

I nodded without realizing it.

"But you're so _cute_! If they do notice, then it'll be because they like you." Again, monotone. _Monotone_. I didn't want to know how she pulled _that_ off.

"I don't _want_ them to."

She blinked a few times. Then sighed, "Well your mother said she didn't want you left in the house."

"You're here." Wait. _Why_ did I say that? _Why—_

"So you want me to stay with you?" Amusement. Light. Amusement. Well—it was something, but it was something I didn't _want_. "I can if you really don't want to go."

And I really really didn't want to go. But then—I'd face the shame of _classmates_ first than staying—_here_. With _her_.

"I'll go."

"You sure?"

I nodded, and turned away, stumbling a bit to get to my sandals by the door.

I felt her, vaguely, behind me—when I leaned down to slip on the shoes—and, when I turned back to look at her. I wish I hadn't.

She was _grinning. _

"I'm sure this'll be fun!"

( -- minutes/hours later )

I heard ringing. Familiar ringing . Dad's cell phone kind of ringing. Somewhere behind the trees—to the left—and I had to wonder—

_How did I get lost?_

Well. I _did_ manage to lose her. But. Now I almost _wished_ I hadn't, I could barely see the lights from the stands, and my feet were hurting. But then—if I had her _with me_—then that meant we'd be _lost together_ and I didn't want to think of that.

She was a [-- -- --]

Nothing like Lenalee at all.

(Not that I wanted her to be)

I exhaled and tried to ignore my feet, concentrating, instead, on _not_ tripping and ripping the Yukata mother bought me. I decided to wear it. _I_ decided to come out here. It would be my fault if anything happened.

(And it was nice)

(Not that I'd wear it)

So I kept walking—towards the familiar ringing sound. Because that meant dad was close by, right? It meant he'd know where mother was. She was showing off her Yukata, too, I figured. She enjoyed it—the attention. She was proud like that.

Dad was too.

_So why isn't he with her?_

But I hadn't asked that question then.

Because I was little.

Parents always had a good reason for being away from each other, right? Yeah. He might've even _known_ I had gone missing. Because he was my dad. Dad's were amazing, right?

So I kept moving towards the sound.

Until I heard his voice, "What?" I stopped. The ringing had stopped. And he sounded like he had a headache.

'_Should I get mom?'_

"I told you," his voice relaxed a little, "oh, [-- -- --]? Why are you—you're using your brothers phone?" A pause, _Did I need to get mom still?_ "I see, well—what is it? I managed to get away from the crowd." Shifting, then the smell of tobacco. He only smoked when he had a really, _really_ bad headache. Or if he was 'unsteady' after work. When I had to avoid him (or at least, Mother said I had to).

But he only smoked in his study. Nowhere else, because mother was allergic. Or something.

_Something_. Right.

"What?" I turned my attention back to the conversation, "Calm down, calm down, _what_?" He was using his soothing voice—_So he must be fine_. Mother didn't need to be called. I didn't need to go get her. But my stomach clenched again, in that uncomfortable way, "You're sure about this?" I peeked around the tree enough to see dad—but not let him see me—_why am I hiding_?—he was rubbing his forehead again.

"Okay, so he left, _when_?" He was calm, right? Soothing? But his expression didn't look it. He was rubbing his forehead so rough now—it was almost like he was _scratching_ at it, "Yesterday? What time?" A brief pause, "So he should be here?" Another pause, the scratching stopped, but I saw blood. He drew his _own blood_. He looked stressed.

I backed up two spaces.

Swallowed.

Then I felt a hand—on my shoulder—that _was not his_. And _was not mine_ and—

"Who's he talking to?" Rei. It was. _Her_. She looked confused. Or about as confused as someone _like her_ could get.

"No one." I hissed back.

"Then why—"

"B_ecause_." Stupid girls asking stupid questions.

She didn't even look like she cared enough to be angry, "_are we hiding_?"

I opened my mouth—but shut it, almost instantly. Dad was scratching his forehead again, leaning against the tree he was closest too. Sighing, "He's definitely here." It wasn't a question like before, "Okay, fine. I should expect him then?" Then—then—he dropped his hand, and I tried to ignore the blood on his fingernails, "Okay then, I'll speak with you _later_. Now I have to find my son, and my wife."

Rei made some sort of clucking noise next to me, face _still_ completely emotionless.

Dad didn't even get a chance to shut his cellphone—to slip it back in his pocket—before it was _ringing_ again.

Ringing.

And.

He actually picked it up.

- - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - -

_He was talking to someone._

_Who? _

_He sounded—that 'forced' kind of tired, "Ah, I see, I see," _

_What did he see? _

"_How do I get there?' _

_Wait._

_He was leaving?_

-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - -

But he dropped it when he saw the number. Or he almost did. But instead—he slammed the phone shut, and slipped it into his pocket.

It didn't do any good.

It just _kept ringing_, and each time—with each set of rings—he looked _that much more_ disturbed. And his hand was back on his forehead again (did it ever _leave_?) Not scratching but rubbing at the skin.

"Dammit." He hissed out, finally, reaching into his pocket and taking out his phone. He flipped it open—pressed a button—then held it up to his ear.

And I remembered not wanting to see that expression on his face. He was [-- -- --]

A word I knew I knew but didn't _want_ to know.

I felt Rei shift, next to me, clicking lowly—and then—_growling_?—"I'm going back." She said, softly, stepping away from me, "It's not safe here."

And for the first time I _wanted_ to listen to her. She was actually _showing emotion_—[-- -- --] but that was still an emotion, right?—she even tugged at my sleeve, "Please, Akahana." But she wouldn't stop calling me by that name.

I wouldn't get off _that_ lucky.

But dad had opened his mouth—I saw it out of the corner of my mouth—so—so I was a stupid kid for once. I told her to leave—and I _stayed_.

Stayed, even, when I felt that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my belly, the one dad always said was silly, but the one mother always said was _normal_. Because dad looked outright _panicked_, his eyes didn't focus on anything, and his mouth was _open_.

Then—unmistakably—I heard _footsteps_—not from behind me (where Rei was—left—was—_left_.) but in front, somewhere behind the tree dad was standing behind. And then, almost abruptly, dad hung _up_ again.

Cold.

Two black boots.

"Ah, Hokori," and a decidedly _female_ voice. But—_why_?

"[-- -- --]," father managed to make his mouth move. He _was not _afraid. Right?

"The one and only." Did I see red hair? I think I saw red hair, "You really should pick up your phone more often." And something shiny—a cell phone, too?—"It could _really_ save your ass sometimes."

And dad—dad _laughed_ then. "You think?"

The red head nodded, I didn't see her face, but she was doing something with the silver shiny thing, "I _know_. Better be glad it's me."

"I _am_ glad." Relief, dad was relieved. Was this person _not bad_? Then _why did he freak out_? And—_why was I still hiding_?

"Good to know." The woman answered, again, I couldn't remember the word for her voice—the _tone_, "I went through enough arsenal to get him to stay in the car."

Dad laughed. Again, "It's your talent, after all."

"What? Persuasion?" The woman didn't sound like she believed him, "Why _would_ I choose something like that? Not like I'm supposed to do much talking anyway."

"I suppose not." But dad wasn't moving either—getting close to her. So maybe she was still a bad person?

I didn't think dad _knew_ any bad people?

Then the woman sighed, "Though you're right—I _am_ stuck with that practically useless ability." Dad opened his mouth again, "Yes it _is_ useless, it hasn't done _me_ any good in the long run, you know." She slipped the silver thing back in her pocket, "And don't even begin to say how useful it is—because—since _when_ have I used it without orders?"

Dad closed his mouth.

And.

Silence.

"But he'll get impatient if I don't come back," the woman lowered her voice, touching her hair, "So I—just came here, instead of him. To give you some news."

Dad bowed his head. "And that would be?" rubbing his forehead, he wasn't looking at her again.

"You should know." She stepped forward a bit—I could see her lips now, a _smile_—"I had fun sending you text messages. Read them later. You'll learn lots."

"I'm sure I will." It sounded like it hurt to speak. Somehow. Or maybe dad's head hurt again.

"Tell your wife and kid I said hello, by the way," And the woman was turning back again—to hide under the shadows of the trees, "I might not get to come back again, after all."

"You're only visiting?"

"Only. Though," she hesitated, "That might not be permanent, if we can reach a cooperation."

Dad's eyebrow raised, "What kind?"

"A tactful agreement that won't lead to any direct bloodshed, of course." She didn't meant that. Laughter was there, in her voice. But…what was it? _Dry_? It didn't—she _really_ didn't mean it.

"Direct?"

"Direct."

"Indirect?"

She turned a bit, and did a bow that would have been formal, but it didn't seem to be. Not when _she_ did it. "If you'd be so inclined?"

Dad's face scrunched up _immediately_ at that, "No."

"Then we'll see." She turned back around again, took two steps, then _stopped_, "Remember—I won't save your [-- -- --] again. So don't set yourself up even more than you already have."

She looked back over her shoulder one last time, and gave off a _smile _that looked so familiar that—

"Because you don't just have yourself to look over now, right?"

All dad could do was swallow. I could see it from here.

And she turned.

And began walking away.

To the sound of a cell phone ringing—

And to dad—who decided—_just then_—to look up.

I still didn't know. If he saw me.

-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - -

_He was giving me worried looks, every other second. And I was sitting up now, somehow. Because I recognized the voice on the other end of the line._

_It had to be Allen._

_He was leaving—to go see Allen. Did he _really_ need to know exactly where the guy lived? No. No he didn't. _

"_You know fucking _enough _now. Hang up the damn fuckin' phone." The words slipped out. He looked—surprised?—and I had to wonder, did I say what I thought I did?_

_I did. I was sure of it. _

"_Now, now, I wouldn't do _that," _he had the nerve to try to scold me, and for a second I thought he meant it that way—but the look in his good eye, and the way he looked like he wanted to—what? Throw the phone across the damned room? What?—told me otherwise. _

_Like I gave a fuck. _

_He quickly pulled the phone back to his ear, whispering, hurriedly,_ _"Listen, Allen, tell her to come by but I might take a…" he paused, and looked at me, "a few seconds, okay?" _

_I could have sworn I heard my name on the other line. _

_And then._

_  
The pained look on Lavi's face. That changed—like a mask—to—to—worried, then, confidence, "If he isn't then he _will_ be." he glanced at me, and suddenly I had this sickening feeling at the base of my stomach, "He's Yuu after all." _

_Yes I was._

_And—_

_He hung up—_

_And—_

_Then he asked, "What the fuck Yuu?"_

_And—_

_I opened my mouth_

_And—_

"_Don't ever think I'm leaving you alone after this."_

_But—_

_It hurt him?_

_For the first time I could actually dammit _read_ him._

_Hurt. _

"_Cloud'll be here in a few minutes, maybe." He explained, not looking at me, "And you're coming with me."_

_I opened my mouth._

"_Did I say I gave you an option?" Angry. Angry. What did I do?_

_I swallowed and felt myself—not nodding, but not saying 'no' either. And I noticed then, his sleeve rolled up, and the stitches that were there. _

_And I felt it—then—too_

_Because._

_Because._

_I couldn't ignore it anymore._

_**Dammit**_

_**--------------------------------------------------**_

**(1)**- Almost forgot the note XD This is talking about the 'choking' scene back on...page 55 (um, not that that helps anyone, but I don't remember the chapter number...^^; ) It was in one of the first few chapters though, I believe. And it never fully got explained, so I'm doing the liberty now of explaining it...in a non obtrusive way. Not sure how well I did, though, but does it make a bit more sense now? -hopes it does-

**Um, yay longer chapter? (15 pages-ish, I believe) but it was needed because I really didn't think I'd put **_**in**_** the Kanda-in-a-Yukata scene, but I decided to go for it. Not sure if it goes originally with what I had in my notes (hilarious how, I have in depth background notes for everyone in this plot line…EXCEPT Kanda), but I'm leaving it as is. Again—I don't expect for people to get Lavi's POV right off the bat but hopefully some things in Kanda's flashback will connect (um, HINT: Look up Hokori, what does it mean? –since that MIGHT help-) Though quite honestly...I really, REALLY dislike the end of this chapter. As in. Really. I've re-read it four times already and I STILL don't like it. -blinks- And I have no clue why...GAH X.x  
**

**And of course: Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? (Why the heck do I keep updating so late?!) Send it via review! I'd love to hear from you!**

**-Till the next chapter (Polar and Livvy make an appearance again) **

**Harmony283 **


	30. Window

**An early update? -gasp- (actually this was done...on Sunday, just didn't have the time to upload it till now XD) **

**WARNING: The content of this chapter goes UP again. Reasons: Nudity, suggestiveness, heavy alcohol usage, and QUESTIONABLE CONSENT/Child Sexual abuse. BEWARE of Allen's POV (I will clearly mark the questionable content, and where it ends, if you wish to skip over it). It was time to bring it up again…as much as I want him to 'ignore' it for a while…**

**Hrm, well, that and, I had a feeling last chapter literally forced itself to be written (never really had an idea do that before…it was odd). So this chapter goes at a much slower pace than usual (I think so, anyway). Might not seem as important, but it's another 'connector' chapter. It helps line events up for things to come…**

**Note: For the sake of lessening confusion, Livvy and Polar's room is almost exactly like the room Devit/Jasdero/Sheryl is staying in. The only difference is—the bathroom in Livvy's room is for handicapped guests, and she wanted to take a bath, thus she's taken the liberty of using Polar's bathroom (hence the whole beginning scene). **

**AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS (once more) **

**Tokyo Darjeeling: **Aha…I'm glad you liked that part (since I could honestly see him doing that, after he got worried). Though it's exactly the opposite emotion from what I would probably do (or at least…I mean, I get angry yeah, but I'd cry over it like heck, and keep repeating how worried I was). I'm glad things are starting to make sense now (I was scared that I screwed that up –spent an insane amount of time wondering _if_ she should've put what she did in that chapter- but there's no use worrying about it since the chapter's already written –shrugs-) for me the only exam I need to worry about now (surprisingly) is _French_ –got her progress report in, she has A's and B's in everything…and a low C in French- though I'm hoping that's just because she doesn't check homework a lot. But we'll just have to wait and see, and hope for the best (for the both of us!) –has friends, also, who're taking Spanish and not doing very well- And of course, thanks so much for the review! –hugs- It means a lot, and I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

**----------------------------------------------------------**

**(Polar's POV) **

Not. Staring. I tried to tell myself that. _Definitely not_ staring. She was just—conveniently in my line of vision. And she thought I was still asleep, obviously. Which is why listening to your ipod _this_ early in the morning was a bad—bad—bad idea…

Yes. Very, very bad.

I exhaled quietly into my pillow. _'Focus on the wall_' As I saw the towel drop a second later. But really—

How many mirrors did they need in one hotel room? One for every angle? Did some _pervert_ porn start artist design these rooms?

And—

Did she _need_ to stand in _front_ of one?

I nuzzled into my pillow, smelling the detergent and cloth-smell, and trying to get lost in it. Trying to fall asleep, but I knew I wouldn't be able to. Even Four-star hotels had annoyingly loud pipes that absolutely despised having water run through them.

I had woken up right when she turned the damn knob.

_Curses_. Mental _curses_. And then some.

I shifted a little—_'Don't look, Don't look'_—and I heard her shift as well, and the sound of her suitcase unzipping. She was grabbing her clothes for the day—and dressing—_right in front of me. _

Well. Except. She thought I was asleep.

'_what the fuck? Am I that convincing?' _I didn't think so. True, the job sort of demanded it—but it demanded us being observant and aware too.

_Note to self: This is so screwed over. _

I shifted again, a little, as I felt added weight on the lower end of my bed—she tossed her sunglasses, and her cell phone, and then she gave _up_ and threw her entire _suitcase_ on the damn thing. I tried hard not to yelp—or make too much movement—well.

A glance told me she was at least a little decent. Slipped on some underwear at least, and she was currently at battle to loosen a _bra_ from the confines of the bag—

It was a losing battle.

I would've smirked, but inhaled the pillow and grunted instead.

I could feel her gaze momentarily slide to me—and it was almost disturbing. But it made her go faster at least, and—she won, I think. Or she sounded like she did, with the _snap_ of that odd elastic stuff it was made out of—and the 'Aha!' sound she made.

I her the snap of straps against skin, and maybe it was a bit better now—to act like I was awake. Because at least now she had the important parts _covered_. Mostly. It wasn't like she was in anything I _hadn't_ seen her in.

Well. Except—

I shook those thoughts again, with another shift, another grunt, and a slight stretch of my foot—which—

'_Shit.' _

--rammed into the side of her—_very pointy_—suitcase.

I turned my face even further against the pillow—to hide my gritted teeth. But she might've already guessed the movement. She was staring right at me—I could _feel_ her eyes on me again.

"You okay?" She questioned—_mocked_—"Not gonna stain the pillow red, are we?"

Well. There wasn't really any reason to _hide_ the fact that I was awake now. I grunted again, and this time pushed against the soft mattress—forcing myself to sit up. For a moment my vision was blocked by my hair, but I quickly shoved it aside, glancing at the covers in the same moment so—

"Oh please, you and modesty don't go well together." She clucked with laughter in her voice, folding her arms, and staring at me through the mirror.

My eyes shifted up on their own accord. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, "And Modesty is_ your_ worst nightmare." I managed out. Somehow. "For someone who _really_ doesn't want people staring, you have an _interesting_ choice in..." I trailed off, she knew what I meant, and I forgot the word anyway. My brain wasn't _functioning_ right.

She glanced down at her _modest_ excuse for undergarments—_that's_ the word!—and just shrugged. "They're black."

"You know what black means."

She quirked an eyebrow, "It's not like I'm a virgin."

I would've covered my face with my closest hand, but they were both occupied keeping me up—_and _asleep, probably. From the pins and needles feeling running through them.

"Well you could try and _not_ let that on." I coughed out instead, taking my chances and lifting a hand—an arm—and extending it towards the small table that separated the two beds. I succeeded, and quickly grabbed my hairtie, messily pulling my hair back in a ponytail, before turning my attention, once more, to the scene in front of me.

"You know, you're just going to have to redo that." She scolded, actually turning to face me now.

"And you're actually going to have to get some _clothes_ on." I shot back, making sure the tie was tight enough before maneuvering the heavy covers off of me (When did I get the second comforter? I decided not to ask. She probably threw it on me sometime last night, though how she did that without me hearing—well, it didn't really matter now).

"If I can figure out what to _wear_." That reminded her that there was a suitcase on my bed, and she quickly began rummaging through it again, pulling out one random article of clothing—then another.

"You'll figure it out." My feet hit the plush carpet, and I managed to straighten my shirt out a bit—yawning in the same motion—"Meanwhile, I'll take a bath too."

"Of course." I walked over to the small corner we had dumped our suitcases in. Being the sensible one I was, I unzipped it right there, and took out a pair of clean pants—a shirt, and a pair of boxers.

And she was _still _playing a rather hilarious game of 'tug-o-war' with some other article of clothing—_is that a scarf?' _Or was it a leg warmer? I decided not to think on it—_Who the hell knows what she packs?_—_who the hell cares?—Not me—_and quickly made my way into the bathroom.

Well.

At least she was exceptionally neat when it _wasn't_ her place she had to take care of. Not even a speck of water was left. Anywhere.

Thorough cleaning was another habit. Along with strange—_strange_ organizational skills.

'_Lavi must drive that guy crazy.' _I bemusedly thought, dumping my clothes on the closed toilet seat before reaching over and turning on the faucet as far as _Hot _could go. _'Hell, I still don't get that old man's organization style.' _It was messy and unkempt and it annoyed father to absolutely _no end_. Because above all else—a surgeon _needed_ be clean to handle bodies.

A mess was unacceptable.

'_But at least it's organized.' _I waited until I saw steam rising from the water, before starting to strip—first the pants, then the shirt, then the boxers—in that order, _every_ time. _'He can at least attest to that much.' _Or at least the red head was respectful about other people's belongings, _'So maybe just his room is messy.' _But then I didn't know for sure, _'I guess I'll just have to see when I get there.' _

Which. _That_ thought—promptly—nearly—_maybe_—made me slip and fall in the tub. I mentally cursed myself—_'That's not allowed'_—but thankfully I caught myself on the small safety handle they had on the side.

The water _was_ dangerously warm though—and—

"Are you okay?!" I belatedly realized I hadn't locked the door.

And a second later, Livvy poked her head in—or rather, well, _slammed_ the door open—and then proceeded to peek in.

Which is where those little soap things came in handy.

I chucked one at her forehead and, well, she _tried _to dodge. But it hit her square in the forehead anyway.

"Hey!" She protested, rubbing her forehead—glaring at me—

"I'm _fine_."

"But I heard a loud—" she stopped, "You're blushing."

_No, really? _

"Get _out_." I managed to grate out.

"But—" she started.

"_Get_." I picked up the small nearly-empty conditioner bottle; ready and willing throw it at her.

"It's not like I haven't _seen_ you naked already!" The words were hurried and rushed—

And I _had_ to smirk when the bottle connected and even _opened_—spilling all over her front. _'At least she didn't chose anything yet.' _She was still indecent—in her bra and panties. Both of which she'd _have_ to change—

"What the _heck_?!" She yelped once she noticed, "Hey—they was _uncalled_ _for_! You pansy!"

"Was it?" I questioned, tugging at the shower curtain, "Now go change—and _get_ out."

She glared, then sighed in defeat, "Fine. You want me to lock the door for you, _princess_?" She lowered her voice then, mockingly.

I looked away, "If you'd be so _kind_?" raising my voice was a bit harder now, but I managed.

And she laughed, "You sound like Minnie Mouse!"**(1) **But she did as I said, and disappeared through the doorway—turning so that the door was locked on the inside—before shutting it.

'_Finally.' _

I exhaled when I heard her footsteps—soft on the carpet—pad away from the door.

And I made yet another mental note to myself, 'Always_ lock the doors.' _

I sank down further into the steaming water—not really caring that, yeah, she was right—I probably _was_ blushing (or at least looked very red)—it was the waters fault. But it's not like I could take a _cold_ bath, even _with_ the impromptu strip-show (though it wasn't, really) this morning.

'_Don't think about it.' _I immediately squashed the buzzing thought, leaning my head back in the same motion, but careful not to let my hair get wet.

But wait.

What did it matter? It wasn't like we were in a _hurry_, right?

So I allowed myself the pleasure of sinking further down into the water—ignoring the initial sting of the _still_ tight skin on my chest—where that _wound_ was that I could've used a thousand wishes to make go away—but knew it wouldn't.

Another sigh and I slid my eyes shut, _'Don't think…don't think…' _

It almost hurt that the void wasn't as ready and willing as before. _'It's because I saw him.' _That was easy enough, _'It's why this isn't a solo mission.' _Because this could've been an inevitable possibility.

Because the damned red head showed up _everywhere_.

Well, okay, not in China, no, but the Old Panda did.

And now we were in the damned _city,_ helping out with something that _did not _sit well with me. At all.

Not that I'd do anything about it. Because I knew I couldn't, _'Just keep as little contact as possible.' _I ran over the mental lines, _'No contact. Don't' be left alone. Don't worry.' Don't.' _

So why was I worrying?

_Because it was so hard to forget? _

**(1 hour later) **

I looked up from my desk in time to see the door unlock—and slam shut, a second later once she slipped through. She had a bag in her hands. Two bags, actually. Grocery bags.

"You went shopping?"

She jolted, head jerking immediately towards where I was sitting. She scowled, "_Yes_ I did, actually."

"We're staying here for more than one day?" It was an innocent silly question since I _already knew_ the answer.

But she gave me one anyway, "Of course, didn't you hear me?"

"During the talk with the old man?" she nodded her head, "Ah, sorry, I believe I tuned you out." Which I actually _hadn't_ but it was fun to see the expression on her face. Nothing short of livid, and annoyed and—_pouting_?

"And after I went through all the trouble of finding it too." She mumbled under her breath, and I would've asked _'What_?' naturally, but she was already digging through one of the bags. She jerked out a few items—an ice cream container, some sort of drink mix, a bag of Dorito's—before finding whatever it was she was looking for. She tugged it out happily and held it up, "Ta-dah!"

…

"Instant rice?"

She nodded her head, "It's a bit easier to make _rice pudding_ this way!" I'm not sure _what_ expression I made, but she _laughed_, "See? See? You'd like that wouldn't ya?"

"Do you have the rest of the ingredients?" She nodded her head again, this time searching through the second, heavier, bag. She pulled out a carton of milk, a small bag of sugar, vanilla extract, and a small shaker of ground cinnamon.

Yup. She had the rest of the ingredients.

"It might take a few minutes," She stated, looking at the bag of instant rice, "But you can wait, right?" I nodded my head, and she smiled—but—but then—

She glanced at the door.

"What's wrong?" she jerked her head back to face me, but just as she was about to shake her head _nothing_—I cut her off, "It's something." Because she never looked behind her unless she was either:

-Being followed

-something was worrying her

-she was saying goodbye to someone

All three had potentially bad outcomes, depending on _who_ was doing the following, worrying, or goodbye-ing.

_Goodbye-ing? Is that even a—_

I shoved the pointless thought away.

"Who was it?"

she blinked, opened her mouth again, before shutting it, and sighing, "I heard crying."

_Crying_?

"A kid was crying." She emphasized, "I don't know which floor, but I heard it going down, and coming back up."

_Ah_. Parental instincts taking over. I tried not to smile—she'd probably yell at me for it being _important_ and _not a smiling matter_—or something. She _was_ pretty serious when it came to kids.

"You wanna play stalker then?" She blinked. I shrugged, "It's not like we've got much else to do until they call us—_you_—back."

'_wait…then that means I can easily just stay in my room right?' _I mentally slapped myself afterwards, _'It's not like I even _like_ kids.' _

"Well that's new, coming from you." And she knew I didn't either, obviously. "If you're willing then," she glanced at the door, "I'll put the stuff in the fridge then we can play stalker."

_'Do I really want to do this? Can I get out of it?' _I was the one who suggested it in the _first_ place—so—did that mean--?

"And no, you can't get out of it now," before I knew it, she looped a hand through my arm and tugged me against her—very, very well _endowed_—chest—_don't think about that, not now. Not—_

Her grip tightened, "Got it, Polar-dear?"

Maybe it was the way she said it, or the fact she pressed closer—because she _knew_ it bothered me—but I agreed. I felt myself agree—even if I didn't—really—_say_ anything.

'_Note to self: Build up a better immunity.' _

Because as she dragged me out of the room—_dammit_ that was—

So _sad_.

I wasn't going to live this down easily.

(but at least I had my cell phone with me. _That_ could be an interesting source of amusement…right?)

-------(**Allen's POV**)-------

_It was stupid. I knew it was stupid. I should've been able to sleep just fine—I did all those other times, anyway. When we got in an argument, but—I couldn't. _

_I __**couldn't**__. _

_Even though he was wrong—he _had_ to be. I wasn't going to admit he was __**right**__—not about Mana. Not about _this_ or. Or anything. It was bugging me. Because he was probably drunk when he said it—he'd probably correct himself (or forget it altogether) in the morning. _

_So I should just let it slide._

_Except—I couldn't. _

_Maybe that was partially my fault too. I wasn't used to getting angry—or yelling. Especially at Cross, since I knew nine times out of ten (or, okay, maybe eight or seven, depending on the topic) I'd lose. I didn't even know why I was so against what he—_

_No. I felt the jabbing pain in my heart—I knew Mana too. Yeah he'd known him _longer_ than me, duh. He was older. Of course he knew things about him he wouldn't tell me. But if he had been alive now—he would have. He didn't keep secrets._

_Mana didn't keep secrets. _

_Another jab—straight to the heart. _

_Why didn't I believe that? _

_**Why**__?_

_I bowed my head slightly, resting it against my drawn up knees—staring out at the reflection._

_Maybe that was bothering me too._

_I touched the cold glass with my bare hand, sighing. _

_Because Cross had left—after the argument—normally that wouldn't have bothered me, he went out a lot at night anyway. Except—this time was different._

_For one it was _after_ the argument. Usually he would've—I don't know—punished me somehow. Maybe hit me over the head with his fist—yell a few cuss words, say how I was a __**stupid boy**__ and __**didn't know a damn thing**__. _

_I knew I probably would've backed off if he had. Not all the way—because—I _knew_ Mana—but some, at least, to calm him down. Then he'd probably go drinking, or call someone to get his mind off of it. _

_So why had he left? And left without a word? That made my stomach clench in knots just as it was—because that had to mean something, right? _

_Well. Obviously. Because he was gone—_

_**For two damn hours**_

_True, he had been gone all night once, on drinking binges, then he'd have some random person—guy or girl, friend or business partner I didn't know about—drive him back. Then—no matter how tired I was—I'd give him some Advil, a glass of water, and start the bath for him (if he couldn't start it himself) because I knew I didn't want him to throw up everywhere—and he didn't either—so a bath was a good way to go. _

_True I had been late to school a few times because of that. But the principal understood well enough—the nice old man. He was a friend of Mana's too. And Komui's—and even Cross's when he wanted to be. I'd gotten away with it for—_

_Well. It didn't matter now._

_Because he left later too—than he normally did. And he wasn't back yet. And he hadn't _yelled_ or anything at me—beforehand._

_I was worried._

_I couldn't sleep._

'He's a grown man' _I tried to tell myself, _'He can take care of himself.' _Even though it was obvious—from me doing most of the house work—that he failed at that most of the time. If I wasn't here he'd probably __**starve**__._

_My stomach clenched in an even tighter not—_

_Then I wouldn't have anyone left. _

_I shivered, and shoved away from the window, taking a few steps, before falling back on the couch. It was ratty, and old, and we probably needed to get a new one—but Cross loved it, and Mana did too, when he was alive (is it really that old?) I inhaled the musty scent (Yeah, it is, needs to be cleaned), and scrunched my nose. _

_  
But didn't get up. What was the point? I'd just have to go to my room again, and stare at the ceiling. It'd take longer to get to the front door, anyway—when Cross came back. _

'Will he?' _he had to, _'But when?' _was I going to stay up all night? _'Yes.'

_I didn't even have to think that over. And honestly—that should've been bad._

_I was angry. _

_I had gotten angry at him—for the first time—and the flare was dying. Just. That. Easily. _

_Because he left. _

_I exhaled, and leaned farther back into the soft cushions, closing my eyes—I was so angry. Yeah. I wasn't used to it. Now I almost wanted to apologize—_

But I wouldn't.

_Of course not._

_He always said I needed to grow a backbone. Especially whenever I got in a fight with Kanda. _

_I grimaced inwardly at the thought._

'His fault. All his fault.' _Because it usually was all that Bakanda's fault. Even if I started it. He was so much stronger—_

_No. _

_I'd just get stronger._

_Lavi even said he'd watch me—too. To see who would win. (Though from the way he always looked at the jerk—it was obvious who he'd silently root for.) I felt my lips twitch. Yeah I'd get stronger—I'd beat that jerk—some day. _

_(Lavi probably wouldn't get angry, right? He wouldn't mind taking care of him?)_

_It was almost funny they thought I was dense. But then—I doubted either noticed that I knew. Or guessed or—because friends weren't that close. __**No one**__ was that close. Not with that Bakanda. _

_Except Lenalee, but she'd known him since she was a baby—so it made sense. She knew _everyone_—except Lavi and me—since they were kids. Wonderful opportunity for blackmail, but she never used it. _

_She was too nice—_

_No._

_  
She was just nice like that._

_I felt my lips twitch again. The thought was amusing though—really. All the things she could do—if only I could persuade her to give me information on that Bakanda that I could use to my advantage—_

_I cut that thought off when I heard the sound of the lock clicking, and the door creaking open a second later—with heavy footfalls, against cold tile. Tile that we probably really, really needed to change by now, it was really grimy looking, even with cleaning. But that was beside the point. _

_I shot up off the couch, but before I could get far—I saw him. Leaning against the wall, looking paler and much more drunk than usual._

_First thought:_

_Alcohol poisoning. _

_Immediate checklist:_

_He didn't look like he knew where he was (but I was sure he did, at least vaguely) _

_  
He wasn't throwing up, that was good—_

_His lips weren't blue (though, he _was_ pale) _

_He wasn't throwing up (or did I already say that?) _

"_Cross?" I wondered aloud, letting him move first—to see how he walked, and how much I needed to help him. Because—because—he as much taller than me, and bulkier, I wouldn't be able to help much._

_And I was still angry._

_Hah. Funny how you could—_

_Oh it was pointless to think about now._

_He stumbled a few steps—barely making it to the couch—before teetering and—_

"_Be careful!" But he had already grabbed the end table, and, under his weight—the lamp and the only source of lighting in the room, besides the window—came shattering to the floor._

_Crap._

"_Don't move." I quickly muttered, as he stared at it stupidly. Stupid drunk. _

_I tried to ignore his eyes on me as I rushed to the kitchen—to the pantry closet—and dug the small folding broom out. _

"_I'll sweep up as much as I can." I didn't know why I felt like explaining it when I got back to him, because I knew he wasn't listening—or that he didn't understand. He was too drunk for that. "Sit on the couch." I ordered instead, hoping he'd get _that_ much at least._

_And—well—he did._

_But—well—he didn't get all of it. Or at least, he misunderstood—or added something on. _

_**(WARNING STARTS HERE) **_

_Because—well—he dragged me back too, by the wrist, and, combined with the fact I _really_ hadn't been expecting that—I fell easily along with him. _

_I was pinned, quite literally—in an awkward—awkward way—to the couch. Next to—underneath, sort of—the drunk._

"_Cross?" I tried to loosen his grip on my wrist, but that was stupid—I knew it was—his grip just got tighter, and his free hand—which he had used to half-break the fall, or flop—grabbed my free hand._

_If I hadn't dropped the broom I probably would've used it then—_

"_Cross?"_

_Because I couldn't push him off me, and his face seemed way too pale this close. Maybe he really _did_ have alcohol poisoning? But—_

_  
No. _

_Was that his heartbeat or mine? Hammering somewhere near my chest? In my chest? I knew I was nervous but—it had to be his—_

"_Cross, are you okay?" I repeated—feeling his grip loosen, but tighten, over the span of three seconds—minutes—_

_He buried his head into my hair, mumbling something in a language I was sure he only learned to impress the ladies—something I was sure I wasn't supposed to hear. _

_He. Was. Drunk._

"_Cross, you're drunk."_

_Do. Not. Panic._

_Who was I kidding?_

_I was panicking._

"_Cross—"_

_He lifted his head for a moment, and I almost relaxed. Well, except—I would have but—his breath really did stink. And his face was way too close and—_

"_Cro—"_

_I didn't even get his name out—and—_

_Wet. _

_Gross._

_Wet lips—_

_Wait—wait—_

**What**?

_I struggled—I was sure I'd have bruises but—I wasn't some—some girl he—he—_

"_Mrph—"when his tongue—tongue? His __**tongue**__ what was this? Some movie?!—swiped along my bottom lip—I wasted no time in biting it. _

_But he took that the wrong way._

_The wrong—wrong—_

_I turned my head away—or tried—he let go of my wrists when I did. I thought I could move then—_

_**Stu-pid**_

_He used one hand to pin my jaw in place, so I couldn't move it—so I couldn't __**look away**__—but he didn't lean down. Not to kiss me. Not immediately. Not wait—no—not—_

"_Get—" I tried, but he didn't want __**noise **__apparently. _

_They were there again—I was struggling again, trying to push him __**off**__ me, but he used his weight to keep me down—keep me pinned—and keep one leg, prying—between—_

'I'm not some girl you—you—'

_**I'm not.**_

_**I'm not some—**_

_I made some noise in the back of my throat—he didn't like that either. He growled, and—I felt a sting—on my throat—and I realized I could breathe—but I yelped in pain instead—_

_Neck? My neck? What was so interesting about my—_

_**I'm not some girl you can just screw.**_

_But—but—_

_He thought so._

_I saw it—in his face—he wasn't _looking _at me. And maybe that was the problem. He wasn't—_

"_Cross it's—" I tried to explain, but he just—bit me again—"Cross sto—" What was I thinking? _

_**What was I thinking?**_

_I yelped again, and this time he added _more_ weight on my chest. I couldn't breathe—I couldn't—_

_He was trying to suffocate me—_

_And then I felt it, that—thing—in guys anatomy—that—_

_Ireallyshouldn'tknowaboutbutaccidentallyreaditinoneofhisbooksonce,thoughIwasreallyreallydense,orsoLavisaidsoIobviouslylearnedlateactually,butthatdidn'tmatternowbecausenowitwasdifferentanditshouldn'tbelikethisand—and—and—_

_**Stop**_

_But._

_Well._

_**Not.**_

_And—_

_I wanted to cry. For the first time—since Mana died—I wanted to—or maybe I was?—crying._

_**Not.**_

_**I'm—not—**_

_And I couldn't breathe._

_-- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - - __**(WARNING ENDS HERE) **_

I let out a gasp, as I felt a hand—jerk me away from—from something, and for a horrified moment I thought I was back in—I thought it was—_Cross_ and—I almost thrashed. Or maybe I did? I didn't—

"Calm down!" I jolted at the voice, it was completely and totally unlike Cross's. The touch wasn't either. It was foreign and cold, and—when I opened my eyes—they were _shut_?—I could see the bleary outline of pale skin and blue hair, and an older concerned face.

But I couldn't say anything, and the person—_Divine_—didn't—look like he _wanted_ me to? What?

"You fell asleep." But his hand didn't move from my shoulder, like he thought it was comforting, and maybe it was, because my heart was beating way too fast for normal. "Or, I should say you dozed, but apparently you dreamed so," He tried to explain, before cutting himself off.

He didn't ask if I was okay.

And maybe I was glad.

"A tissue?" He said instead, holding out a Kleenex he had pulled from somewhere—maybe his sleeve?—and handed it to me, "You're crying."

Immediately I grabbed the tissue and wiped my eyes. He seemed relieved when I did, and—I tried, I really did—to say, "Thank you."

Not sure how it sounded.

"You're welcome." He said, maybe a little too coolly, but there was concern there, maybe. As much as an almost-stranger could have, "I thought I should wake you, though. Your friends will be here any minute now."

I blinked, feeling my eyelids stick, sort of, from the sleep and the tears. _I can't believe I'm crying_, "Friends?"

"You called Lavi, remember?"

Ah. Right.

But why was it—

"And apparently you said the other one?" He looked confused as he said this, leaning his head to one side, "could come? Whoever they are?"

_Oh_.

Right.

I hiccupped embarrassedly, and wiped my eyes further, "R-Right."

"And I ordered you to lie back down until they got here." He hummed, taking the tissue from me without asking, "Apparently that wasn't a good idea?" He tossed the Kleenex towards—I assumed—the trashcan, but it bounced off the rim, and immediately Timcampy started to chase it.

Cute cat.

"But you're okay now?" He kept asking, eyeing me, uncertainly, "Or should I call Cloud and ask her to conveniently stall the car?"

I quickly shook my head, "No—no! It's f-," I swallowed, the word wouldn't come out—because I _wasn't_ that word, probably, "Fine."

He didn't look like he believed me.

But he didn't ask a question after that. Instead, he just stated, "I'll believe you."

And then—and then—

He stood up, slowly, and turned to the door—yelling—almost _immediately_ as the door slid open—"Out! Out!"

I couldn't see who he was talking to.

"But—" his brother? "Divine—I just found the ice cream you were looking for! Chome ate half of it—"

Divine moved quickly to the door, and—I assumed, maybe—pushed his brother back _out_? "Really? That's good, well you can eat the rest of it."

"Why?" The boy asked, stubbornly.

"Why not? It's perfectly good ice cream."

"Yeah but—" again, stubborn, and I almost felt my stomach growl, but knew if I ate I'd probably throw up—_not_ just because of—

Thankfully Timothy cut my thought off before I could, "There's nothing _manly_ about it!"

"Manly?"

"Yeah!" He repeated, "There's absolutely _nothing_ manly about White chocolate Raspberry Truffle Ice cream! I won't eat it!" **(2)**

And the door slid shut, as Divine stepped out—to scold him further, probably, out of my hearing—but not before he glanced back at me, with a look I-I tried so hard _not_ to read.

It was always odd—when people stared at you like that. Like they could tell—just from looking—that something bad happened.

Lavi did that too, sometimes.

_Lavi_ did, but I was used to Lavi. Not—Not this guy doing it.

And I knew Lavi would probably get it right when he stepped in—what had happened. He'd probably ask more about _it_—and I didn't know if I wanted to talk about _it_. But then we'd be able to change the subject, too? Right?

Because Lavi would know I was uncomfortable.

And he'd smile and say, _'So how're ya feelin? Is your fever going down?' _

Because he'd notice, too, probably. That I lied and said I was fine when I really _was_ still sick. I didn't want _him_ to get sick—but I wanted him to _talk_ so I'd say—

'_Feeling better.' _Or something like that, _'my fevers not as high as it was.' _

Then he'd probably start asking—maybe—_'So how're the people here?' _If he couldn't tell just from looking, or if Timothy and that other girl—maid?—decided to hide—but why would they _hide_?

And I'd say, _'they're nice_.'

Because I didn't know too many people now, who would do that—take in a nearly complete stranger. Just because they could.

And he'd laugh and say_, 'That's great_.' Then he'd probably ask more—like—_'How does Cloud know 'em again?' _

Or something along those lines.

And I'd shrug and said, _'You meet a lot of people working in the circus.' _

Then we'd get horribly, horribly off topic.

Laugh about it too.

Until we had to be serious again—because it all came back down to that.

Back down to the fact that—that guy also noticed. That something happened. I'd _have_ to talk about it—

_Dammit_ _I can't see_.

My vision was getting blurry again.

_I don't want to sleep_

So I watched Timcampy's blurry form, batting the rolled up tissue across the floor, like it was the best thing in the world.

_Lucky thing._

He didn't have to worry about much. Except, maybe, sleeping? And eating—eating was always good too. Playing passed the time well enough; he could amuse himself for hours with just a wad of tissue paper.

_I want to be cat._

Lavi'd laugh if I said that, though.

'_Then I'm a rabbit!' _he'd say—probably, would turn to Kanda when he said that—_'Right? Right?' _he'd probably try to make him agree, and—if the guy was in a good enough mood—he probably would.

Right?

Yeah. Right.

And we'd talk about how he _got_ that ridiculous name in the first place—which, Kanda would probably say, had _nothing_ to do with bright orange hair, and the inane likeness it had to carrots—or the fact that Lavi was really, really hyper sometimes—or, well, _he did_ dress up in an Easter bunny outfit once, but the nickname had already been _established_ at that point—

And I'd try not to recognize how happy Lavi looked. Because they were—_so close_ now, or something—even if Lavi had dragged Kanda—mostly against his will—here, and to that Easter egg hunt where he dressed up—

It was just too funny.

And I would probably laugh even harder—because I knew Kanda wouldn't attack me. Maybe.

I would laugh, and forget—

Forget the way that guy looked at me.

Forget the dream.

And the possibility that I probably just talked in my sleep—

_Which could be bad. Very bad._

And I'd forget—too—

That I _wasn't_ just some—girl—

And that I wasn't anything like my mom.

And I really _was_ right about Mana. He was never _like_ that—ever. Ever.

Or the fact that I lied about the reupholstered couch. It wasn't rain that did that. That made the change. **(3)**

I hiccupped again, and drew my knees up—

Because maybe then, I'd be able to ignore the fact—

I was just about to cry.

---------------------------------------------------------

**(1)-**I'm sure everyone must at least know one person (guy or girl) who can do this perfectly to the point it's almost creepy. I know a girl who can do that in my Choir class (also a really creepy guy –shudders- But I don't wanna think about that).

**(2)-**All I can say is—I _bought_ this ice cream at Publix (grocery store) when I was out with mom once. Then we got home, and I almost forgot it was in the freezer till after dinner. When I got it out to eat it—these were the first words out of my dad's mouth. Not sure _what_ he meant by them, but they were funny. So I decided to use them in something.

**(3)**-need I explain this one? (I know it happens in Chapter…10? 11?ish?) It's in Lavi's POV, and they're listening to Allen explain why the entire place has new flooring/new furniture ('the old couch got soaked' more or less…). Turns out he was lying, neh? Did anyone pick that up? –wonders about that-

**And is it silly that the end of this chapter made me cry? (and that—oh hey, it's the longest chapter so far? And that I actually really like it) Now I'm finding I tend to get carried away with Allen. –laughs- He really, really must hate me by now. Or he would, anyway. But yeah, a bit of a sobering(?) chapter, compared to the last one. But it achieved what it needed to achieve, and I'm not so hung up on the last chapter—because at least this one's good in my eyes. That may just be me, though. Also, it's very, um, I'm not sure how I managed to stick humor (if you wanna call it that, it might just be funny to me) in, but...yes, the whole Timothy scene at the end proves a purpose. I'm sure we've all had a day where we wanted to sit down and cry, but then someone comes in and is in an extremely good mood. That's the feeling I was trying to pull across, dunno if I achieved it or not...  
**

**Because I won't know unless people review and tell me so--**

**Which leads to: Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review! I'd love to hear from you!**

**-till the next chapter (which I would be working on now...but I left my jumpdrive at school T^T -REALLY hopes she finds it tomorrow, would be heart broken if she didn't- that and my life project's on it...DANGIT! That's 150 points! -flails-  
**

**-Harmony283 **


	31. Sanity

**FGBXPGh –flails around for a moment- I'm REALLY REALLY sorry for not updating this sooner x.x I had an ultra busy week last week (with a Choir concert, Sis coming back from University, an AP-Exam and Prom…hah –dies a little-) I didn't even get a chance to TOUCH this chapter. But it's out now—and I've officially hit the 30 chapter mark! I'm glad I did, though now I'm really not sure how long it'll be XD (so don't ask…I prefer not to give any limit, seems like it'd be cheating the story out of something if I knew how long it was). BUT ANYWAY—this chapter features an awkward car ride, a rather broken 12 year old, Allen distracting himself (somewhat), and…a look into what Bookman is up to. **

**Note: Just for the sake of lessening confusion, this is a list of nicknames brought up in this chapter, and who they're referring to (if you can't tell):**

**Candy: **Road

**Chocolate/Olive: **Livvy (sometimes Olive refers to her eyes)

**T-**Tyki

**S-**Sheryl

**Twin 1-**Devit

**Twin 2-**Jasdero

**V-**Veronica

**White Chocolate/Rice-**Polar

**(Also some parts of his POV aren't supposed to be grammatically correct!) **

**Note 2: Slight mixing up of the time frames. The ENDING of this chapter happens a few hours after Reid's POV (which happens directly after Polar's POV in the last chapter, which is in roughly the same timeframe as the happenings between Lavi, Kanda, and Cloud). –just to clear up some confusion again- **

**AND AGAIN: Thanks so much for the reviews! –hugs- They really ARE my biggest inspiration to keep writing!**

**------------------------------------------------------**

**(Cloud's POV) **

It was official. I could _not_ take it anymore. If those two didn't—didn't—

I slammed on the breaks, jolting both of them out of whatever stupor they had fallen under. I just couldn't take it anymore.

"Look," I glanced back at the both of them, and immediately they both looked away, like children about to be scolded by their parents. I sighed, "I _don't _know _what_ happened, I don't even _want_ to know," Okay, maybe I did, a little bit, "Just—get_ over_ yourselves before we get there, please." Or did they both forget why they were going?

Kanda scowled. Well, it wasn't like he was coming along because he _wanted_ to (Lavi had practically dragged him out of the house, and, if I remembered correctly, he couldn't really _stand_ Allen.)

But Lavi tried to smile, at least, "We'll try, right Yuu?" Again he was bringing the stoic boy into this, whose only response was—typically—

To turn and look out the window. I could almost _hear_ Tiedoll wailing in my ear. He'd want to hear everything, since I was so wonderfully graced with his presence. In my car. In front of a red light that I almost ran—and that just turned green—all to visit Allen, who was sick, who, as far as I knew, Kanda didn't even _like_, so he was going along for reasons I didn't _know_—

I really did jump when I felt my cell phone ring—_'Don't tell, me it can't be—' _

I flipped it open and exhaled. It was Divines Number, _'Well at least he isn't that obsessed.' _

"Hello?" I immediately picked up, at the same time, starting up the car to a crawl.

"Hello, Cloud, have you picked up the targets yet?" Divine's voice was overly happy—but…_annoyed_, judging from his word choice.

I let out a chuckle, "Yeah, they're here, why?"

A very loud, long exhale, "Good. Can I ask you a favor?" He didn't wait long enough for me to answer, "Is there any way possible for you to stall the car?"

I hesitated and glanced out the window, "Well," the turn was coming up, "is there another—"

"Route?" He cut me off again, "Probably. How close are you?"

"Just passed the pharmacy." I literally just did, with the redhead staring at me, _almost_ uncomfortably, and maybe it _would have_ been, if he had been older than me.

"Good, well, miss the turn. Go straight, then loop back around," Divine explained, drawing my attention back to him, "Say I distracted you." He added on for extra emphasis.

Not that it mattered. One green eye bore into the back of my head. _'So much for unnerving.' _Because now it was, "I don't think—" I started, but dropped the sentence. The lone green eye—when I glanced back—had turned _knowingly_ like he_ could tell_—coupled with a smile—towards the window.

I passed the turn.

"You don't think?" Divine's voice snapped my eyes—attention—focus—back to the road once again. I almost didn't slam my breaks on in time as we came up to a red light. No turn lane. No U-Turn allowed.

"I missed it," I stated, maybe a little too blandly.

"You did?" Both Divine and Lavi questioned—Divine relieved, Lavi…again, _knowing_.

"Yeah," I at least tried to sound convincing, "There isn't a legal U-Turn either. How do I—"

"Just take the road till you can," Divine suggested, "I'm sure Allen will thank you for it later."

Lavi's focus was on the phone, and immediately I _knew_ he wanted it. That he had heard the conversation.

"Really?" I nearly forced the word out, "I'd ask but actually you're better of telling Lavi." I glanced back at the redhead, who seemed pensive but relaxed, "I'm handing it back." I stated as warning. Well, okay, I actually _tossed_ it, but he caught it so it didn't matter. I even watched him place the phone up to his ear.

I even watched as Kanda turned slightly, to face him. Was it good he looked like he wanted to say something? Or…?

-------**(Lavi's POV)-------**

"This's Lavi," I greeted as casually as I could, glancing at Cloud, who was glancing at me, and then glancing at the dark haired—

Bastard I couldn't—

"I figured," The voice on the other end was surprisingly accented. Was it…French? "You're the one Allen called, no?"

"Yup." Well that was confusing, "Said he wanted to talk, I'm sure you heard him." Because I was sure he had.

"I did," the man consented, "I was in the room. Though," he paused, "I should tell you—he lied."

That didn't particularly bother me. Not much, "'Bout what?" But I asked anyway.

"He still has a fever." _Thought so_, but I didn't say that out loud. In fact, that was _just_ a bit on the bad side, "It's not as high as it was." He explained, but, oddly, his voice almost died.

"Something else?" I suggested, trying to ignore the two sets of eyes that suddenly latched onto me.

"He _dozed_ or—ah—fell back asleep again." He was hesitant at best.

"And?" But it wasn't getting us anywhere. We _needed_ to get somewhere. Just like Cloud needed to watch the _Road_ but she _wasn't_.

Another breath, "I think he had a nightmare."

_Oh hell_—my breath caught in my lungs. But he continued, oblivious to that fact. But then, why shouldn't he be? He couldn't see me after all, "Do you know anyone by the name of Cross?"

_Oh _fuck, more like it.

"Yeah I do," I said instead—obsidian eyes focusing even more, leaning in closer—did he _hear_?

"Well he was crying." Blunt and to the point. "Saying that name, and crying." He paused shortly, "Do I need to make my own deductions?"

I leaned back against the leather seat, it was warm, "Depends on how much you know."

"Well I know Mana." He said that and I _knew_ he must know at least—_at least_ something. I almost wanted to laugh, but instead I sighed.

"Well—you know enough."

"Then I suppose I'll learn more when you get here?" He questioned, and, for the life of me, it sounded so flippant—not _friendly_—to mush so that—did he—he really didn't sound like he cared. Or like it was any of his business.

And I hated that—_because_ of that—he'd remind me of—

"I suppose so." I answered him back, cutting that annoying thought off, "How much longer till we get there?" I looked straight at the back of Clouds head, and knew immediately—she felt guilty. Guilty for trying to stall, even though it probably wasn't _her_ fault.

And Yuu looked like he just might be a little bit sick of something. But he was still looking at me—through the window, but still looking.

"Shouldn't be too long." She answered me, after a moment, stopping at another red light. "Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine." I suddenly felt like I was repeating myself.

"Of course he will." The—_wait, what's his name?—_voice on the other end let out a laugh…

Then the line went dead.

-------(**Reid's POV)**-------

_Sis is dead sis is dead_

_Now here I am _

_Surrounded by _

_Familiar faces—then_

_But if I could  
I know I would_

_I'd join her—_

_Yes I would_

_I'd join her before her blood ran dry_

_Before she hit the ground and died_

_She was all I had left, you know?_

_So here I am—_

_(here I am) _

_Surrounded—_

_Don't know why_

_With familiar faces_

_I shouldn't know_

_And all I wish is "DIE"_

_All I wish is_

"_DIE"_

_I can't stand her fingertips. The ones—sugar coated thick_

_That she tries to touch me with_

_As she gives out candy sick-ness_

_Sweet and thick and _

_Di-s-gust-ing_

_So why do I take it anyway?_

_Then they run—those fingertips—through my hair._

_Tangle here-there-_

_(I want to cry) _

_(but don't) _

_One less tear_

_A drop of blood_

_I won't repent_

_Because she's dead._

_Sis is dead_

_And I left her there—_

_Cremated?_

_Buried?_

_Chopped?  
Cut?  
Served?_

_She's dead—I want to go with her._

_Now the voices get too loud._

_The brother's are arguing—_

_(Like we used to) _

_Red hair, I think._

_Blink_

_More candy and a sliding door_

_Two footsteps, then two more_

_A 'mothers' presence_

_Who are they?_

_  
"I heard crying." She says_

_The man behind her—silent._

_And I want to cry—harder. But don't._

_What's the—point?_

"_He's fine." Candy-fingers says_

"_No he isn't" Chocolate says_

"_Don't know why you called me here." T says_

"_Because you could help." S says. Smiles, "Sorry for our…_brother's"—

_I am not your 'brother.' _

"_It's fine." Chocolate says._

_The man beside her is silent_

"_No it isn't." Twin 1 says, too low to hear—_

"_Isn't it?" Twin 2 half-rep—_

_V stays silent, too._

'_**she knows them**__'_

_I don't ask_

_Who says that_

_I don't _care

_Right?_

_Remember_

_(No?) _

"_Really?" Chocolate says. Two more steps_

_The man beside her is silent. _

_Wa-tch-ing_

"_Yes, really." S says._

_She don't believe him._

"_How are you?" She asked._

'_How can she ask?' _

_I sob._

_Candy answers:_

"_He lost some—one." _

"_Important." V adds on. _

_Hand—motherly—_

_Shoulder._

_I try and shrug it off_

_(She doesn't let me) _

"_Ah," Olive goes sad. _

_Sad_

_Sad_

_She knows me?_

"_You were," Chocolate paus-es_

_Swallows_

"_The accident?"_

_She _knows_ me_

'_**Yes she does**__'_

_That voice doesn't—_

_(I sob) _

_Another hand is added._

"_She was your sister, right?" Chocolate asks_

"_She was." Candy answers._

"_So you can see," S starts—_

_T cuts him off, "Why, right? He's just a child." _

_Olive eyes flicker._

"_Yes. A child." _

_But I see—_

_It's not an excuse_

_(not in her eyes) _

_I sob again_

_(again) _

_(again) _

_(again) _

_  
Did I mention—_

_(again?) _

"_I'm sorry—" I—me—_

'_**We'**_

_Try to say._

"_I—" chocolate starts_

"_It's fine." T, Candy, V say—_

"_We should…" the man—_

_White chocolate? Says—_

"_leave?" _

"_We should." Chocolate swallows, _

_Olives shake_

_She exhales. "Sorry for—"_

"_It's more than all-right." S says_

_Then they leave._

_Turn on heels_

_And_

_  
Leave._

_But White Chocolate looks—again—off. _

_(Maybe not so much white chocolate?_

_  
How about rice?) _

_I sob again._

_A sliding door closes._

_Again._

_Again._

"_Shh," Candy rubs my back._

_V joins in._

_  
I just sob harder._

_S sighs_

"_I should have figured as much," he says. _

"_Yeah," Twin 1 says. A—nn—oy-ed_

"_As much?" Twin 2 wonders—confused?_

_I sob again._

"_Of course." S says_

"_It's simple" Twin 1 states._

"_What is?" T and Twin 2 ask_

"_You don't get it?" Twin 1 looks crazed. He laughs_

_Almost_

_I sob _

"_Our sanity." S tries_

"_Is fully—" Laughter cut him off—_

"_Down the toilet." Candy ends_

"_To put it nicely." S ends._

_**Sanity**_

"_Why?" T says—sounding—nervous?_

_"Because," Twin 1—laughing still—chokes-_

"_**The sane part just died**__" _

_(I sob) _

_-------_(**Allen's POV**)-------

"That was mean." I look up in time to see the door slide open, and—Timothy?—walk through. He looked annoyed, or at least, a little bit, when he looked at me. Timcampy hissed, but left him alone.

"I am _not_ mean." Divine followed him, with a laugh I didn't want to hear. He looked at me again—condescending, pitying—_I didn't want it_—but—

He picked up a nearby hand mirror, and held it up—

Someone really _could_ pity me.

"Stupid cat!" Timothy growled off to the side, and I heard Timcampy hiss again—almost _yowl_ but he didn't—"give me the stupid tissue before ya _eat_ it!"—

Divine laughed again, and sat, next to me, pulling another tissue from his sleeves, "Here, tissue." He held it out, "There's a bathroom right there," he nodded his head behind him—back through the door they both had come from, "right across the hall."

I rubbed the tissue against my eyes—they were wetter than I _thought_.

"Get whatever you need to out of your system," he almost scolded, "Wouldn't want to throw up in front of your friends, would you?"

_Oh._

_  
Right._

"Don't worry," Pity again, but not so much, "Cloud's stalling the car for a bit. Thank goodness this town doesn't like—" he scowled across the room and I looked back in time to see Timcampy dodge and—

Timothy hit his head—_hard_—

Immediately Divine was up, rushing—gracefully _somehow_—over to the boy, "Dana!"

"Fine!" Before Divine could even _touch_ him, he had his hand up, "Tres bien, actually." He sent a glare towards Timcampy, but—_did the cat just smirk?—_he just flicked his tail and went back to batting the wad of tissue.

_Cute Cat._

-------(**Divine's POV**)-------

The feline spawn was an undoubtedly _excellent_ proposal. It definitely was. The boy had nearly been _drowning_ in angst—along with his own bile, unfortunately I'd have to add—a cute little spawn such as _that_—was just about the perfect thing. Aside from human confrontation, Analyzation and—

Oh, but did it _have_ to be so evil?

'_Dana's hurt,' _he would get mad at me for worrying so much, probably but, _'Oh, I can't help it.' _

"Are you sure?"

He was glaring at the spawn—he was probably sure was from satan—with the intent to make its remaining nine lives very poor, and sourly unproductive in the area of _living freely and without pain._

"Yes, I'm _fine_." Dana grumbled, rubbing his head, "That _hurt_ though."

The angst-boy was watching the cat, though, but with the eyes of someone who would actually nurture the poor thing. _'How nice.' _

It would be a wonderful distraction, but, "Of course it did." I cooed gently, hand falling into Dana's hair—checking for wounds, of course—"It was your own fault, though."

He glared at _me_ now. "Aren't you supposed to—" he cut himself off, and pouted in a scowling sort of way.

"Aren't I supposed to what?" I mimicked.

"Nothing."

_Poor, Dana_

He looked thoroughly miffed again. Oh, and quite the bit embarrassed too. I could feel the angst-boy's eyes follow us, back across the room. _'He's wondering if we're leaving._

"You first," I placed a hand gently on the small of my Dana's back, and shoved him, ever so slightly, out the door. But not before I could miss the curious expression on his face. "Don't worry, I'll be out in a moment."

"I'm not worried."

I slid the door closed in his face.

'_Of course not,'_ and smiled too, just a bit, but quickly wiped the look off my face, turning to the angst-boy again.

"You really should think about neatening up," not that I was sure he could _do_ much, though he did look quite the bit less feverish, which was always a positive sign. Didn't mean he was completely better yet, "your friends will be here as soon as Cloud can do a legal U-turn."

He blinked owlishly for a few moments, before numbly nodding his head, and trying—almost failing, but getting up _anyway_—to stand on wobbly legs.

Poor boy.

But I was sure he didn't want me to say that. I could already tell he didn't take well to pity. Cloud never did—whenever mother had deigned herself the one to _give_ it to her—certainly _Mana_ hadn't either, when I had known him.

So of course this boy wouldn't either.

Stubborn batch. Almost like they were related, except they _weren't_.

I exhaled, and the boy nearly tumbled into me, "The bathroom is right here," I grabbed his arm gently, steering him _none_ too gently towards the sliding door across the hall. I was vaguely aware that Chome was watching—a cat, the mother, most likely, perched on her head—but ignored her. I could speak with her _later_—about straightening up the room, after all—

_Just like Cloud and Mana, I doubt the boy wants to be _seen_ as weak._

Though this _Lavi _person, obviously knew whatever it was they were going to talk about—whatever it was that _Cross_ did.

Sad to say, I never knew Cross well. Saw him come out of mother's room a few times, but then equally so _Mana's_.

Unnerving? No, not particularly.

The boy practically keeled over when he got to the toilet.

'_Ah,' _

He really wasn't feeling better yet.

"He's sick again?" That was Chome, sounding worried, biting her lip, the cat hissing and jumping off her shoulder. "Will he be okay?" She asked again, ignoring the cat entirely, eyeing me, then the angst-boy.

I looked at him, looked at her, "I'm sure he will be after he's done." Then I addressed the boy, "You will won't you?"

Wonderful puking sounds answered me. I turned back to Chome, "See?"

Her face soured slightly, "I _see_. Well," she glanced at the cat finally, who was scampering off down the hall, "his _friends_…will be here soon, right?" She looked at me again.

"I suppose so." Which made me almost grateful that this town inconspicuously hated U-turns. Especially of the legal kind. I would have smiled but the angst-boy looked up at me just then—

"Soon?" he croaked.

Chome nodded, "I think—I mean, Cloud is stalling them, right?" _Oh dear_, "They're out front. _'Oh triple dear.' _The boy's face paled in the same motion—he turned back to the toilet.

"Should I help distract them?" Chome asked again, grimacing as the boy started puking up his innards—_nearly_. "Err, actually, I think I will."

And she nearly, literally, took off down the hall, just as I heard the door chimes ring, and the sound of voices. Three voices, one familiar, one I had heard on the phone, and a _grunt_ I wasn't so familiar with.

'_This should be amusing.' _Fortunately, I was always prepared for entertainment.

Not that that meant anything now.

-------(**Bookman's POV**)------

"No." I answered, watching Livvy cast another look around the room, "I assure you he did _not_ take that with him."

"You're sure?" she snapped, a bit dazed—disoriented—and Polar only watched her, from the corner, scarf loose around his neck, gloves pulled off, and dangling in his pocket. He was concentrating on something by staring at her,

And it had nothing to _do_ with her.

Livvy exhaled, "You're—"

"Yes."

"But," she let out a groan, "Then where would he keep it?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

That more than annoyed her, "Did you ever _watch_ him after you—ran off?!" Polar stiffened, almost unnoticeable to the untrained eye, but it was there, and his eyes became just a little more unfocused.

'_That isn't good.' _Because that could only mean he was _thinking_ of my apprentice. _'This won't end well.' _

"He knows how to take care of himself." I shrugged again, turning back to the papers in front of me. Piles, and piles that I had 'neglected'. "Should I have to watch his every move?"

"Yes you _should_." She spat, glaring at me, then the papers, "You _know_ what could happen if—"

"Yes I know," I cut her off, signing my signature illegibly on another familiar looking document, "you don't have to repeat something I have known far longer than you." I met her gaze after a moment, hers defiant as always.

I turned to Polar a second later, "And don't you think a second either, that I would let him get away with it."

He simply shrugged.

"But if you don't want him—"

"You're making a mute argument." I, again, cut her off.

"Well what do you _suggest_ I do?" She glowered, "Especially when _you don't seem to be listening?" _

I gave her a look.

She gave me one back.

"And what makes you say that?" I said, curtly, turning back to the papers.

"For one you haven't said a word in disagreement since we _got_ here." She tried to point out.

"Why would I disagree?" Sigh, sift, choose, sign again, "I _agree_ what is known to the clan cannot be known to others."

"Then at least—you're—_being hypocritical." _

I raised an eyebrow at that, "Aren't we all?"

She opened her mouth for a quick retort, but quickly shut it, thinking—hesitating for a moment, before choosing her next words, "Well, theoretically _yes_ but this is—"

Sift, choose, sign—I tuned her out.

_oH_.

But she noticed. Smart girl.

"And I would _appreciate_ it if you _listened_ to—"

"Livvy shut the fuck _up_." I turned, Livvy turned, and Polar pushed himself away from the bookshelf, looking—_expressionless_, "He's tuning you out for a reason, if you couldn't tell."

"And what would that reason be?" but she seemed slightly surprised, like he _hadn't spoken all day. _Which, granted, he had done before, on the rare occasion. But it was still worrisome.

"He's eight nine,"

"Eighty Eight." I quietly corrected.

"Eighty eight," he quickly reiterated, "He's been alive _how_ many years more than you? Don't' you _think_ he doesn't know the damn rules already?"

She swallowed, but didn't back down, "Then he should—"

"I Should _what_?" but it went unheard.

"just because he's old doesn't mean he's senile."

'_Should I take that as a compliment?' _I looked between them, _'I think not.' _

"But he _is_ old and senile!"

I felt a vein slightly pulse in my forehead, "_What?" _

They both ignored me.

"Well he hasn't kicked the bucket yet," Polar was trying to remain calm in this, and was succeeding.

"No he hasn't, but he _should_."

'_Oh I should, should I?' _

My fingers started twitching—the signature was crooked.

"Not following the rules—not—you—he—he's broken _every_ rule out there."

'_In trying to regain humanity?' _She was throwing a tantrum, on a grown woman it just was _not_ appealing and—

"He _should_ be tried for treason and then _hung_!"

"But could we afford to lose him?"

"Y_ou're_ just afraid of losing Lavi!"

Ah.

The pen snapped, and ink splattered across the page.

_She should not have said that._

Because—

_Pain_

I exhaled, "You two,"

Livvy looked borderline horrified at the words that had just fallen out of her mouth.

"_get out_." Neither noticed me, but they heard me, undoubtedly, "of _my_ house—now."

Livvy swallowed.

Polar stared blankly.

Their motions lasted for half a second—

"_Now." _I repeated, lowering my voice.

And they did. Slowly, at first, nothing like how they had come—barging in _loudly_ looking for _documents _of this _that_ the other—off in the corner—they stumbled over their own limbs. It should have been sad, except it wasn't. More disheartening.

"_Snow won't be pleased." _And he wouldn't, _'His son is falling again.' _

Faster—_who knew_?—

They needed to get out of here.

'_Humanity never did them any good anyway.' _

But then—had it ever?

----------------------------------------------------------------------

**Snow: **Polar's father (Snow is his nickname, given to him by Bookman). He won't be appearing physically in this, just…as a voice, usually over some cellular/communication device.

**Introduced another plot device in this (sort of). If someone can point it (or…them, since there's more than one, possibly) out, they get a cookie! Though I will say that, once more, this chapter didn't go as planned, but I hadn't put Bookman in the plot for a while, so he gets some story time to himself (can't help but think I write him too **_**modern**_**, but, meh…). **

**Anyways, have Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review! I'd love to hear from you!**

**ALSO: I am officially on summer break now! While this means I'll be able to write more, I'll also be in the middle of a juggling act (with other fanfics which I put on the backburner in favor of this one). I WILL ALSO be gone THIS weekend (going to the beach) AND the 27****th****-29****th**** (for an orientation of sorts, to choose my classes for University). Thus I will try to get ahead in this (again), so I can update early (though I will ONLY update early, if that is what people want—since I know right now MANY MANY people have exams to study for/etc, and I know how easy it is to get distracted –wouldn't want anyone to get a bad grade because of this-) **

**Um, yeah, I'll shut up now XD  
**

**-Till the next chapter**

**Harmony283 **


	32. Built to Crash, Then Rebuild

**Chapter 31 here and…yeah. Um…it's late. Yes I know it's late. My motivation is **_**officially **_**in the toilet, and, regrettably, **_**has**_** been for the past week and a half. The time it **_**wasn't**_** in the toilet? Internet wouldn't connect at all with any computer in the house. It also screwed up Microsoft Word (it's **_**still**_** screwing up even now.) Windows Movie Maker/Media Player, and a few other programs. But now, obviously, it's **_**fixed**_** (somewhat), so hopefully it won't happen again…**

**But regardless of that, I finally slapped myself (at 2:33AM in the morning) and said I **_**had**_** to work on at least some of this. And I **_**did**_**, and as you can see it got **_**finished**_** because of that. It also turned out a bit differently than I expected, and, well, you'll see my thoughts on **_**that**_** at the end…Oh but I AM surprised this is also (I think) the longest chapter. Or one of the longest chapters, just a little over 17 pages long…-is amazed she could pull that off-**

**Err though anyway, the basic summary is this: Lavi and Allen talk, but also Kanda and **_**Divine**_** have a little (one-sided) chat, and Tyki sorta-kind reveals something important. Want more specific? Read the chapter and find out! XD**

**And again, thank you so much to The Hecateae, Enfin, Evanescent Silence, Kakashi and BB's Nightmare, and J.C for taking their time to review! Though I have to ask: Did FF screw up and not send Alerts? –just wondering- **

**J.C: **I'm glad you enjoyed the fanfic for what you read of it, and I'm sorry you feel the need to drop it. It's not in my power to force you to read something you don't want to (or don't feel the need to read anymore), though I _will _say this: please do _not_ assume you know my writing style isn't there for a reason. If you have a question on the reason, then you're more than welcome to ask (though I can't guarantee I can keep it short, so if you _do_ read this, and _do_ want me to explain it, then leave your email address –or login to your account—so it'd be easier to contact you by). Again, thank you _very_ much for the review. I really do appreciate every single one that I get –hugs-

**-------(Lavi's POV)-------**

One word descriptions never really worked. No one was just _one_ thing—like—like _food_. No one was ever one type of food, though if they were the food they usually ate—then Yuu would probably be Soba. Soba or Green Tea—or Green Tea flavored Soba, but that was disgusting.

And who was I kidding? I was distracting myself.

Because Allen really _was_ sick—throwing up—I heard it. Right when we stepped into this modern haunted house. Okay, maybe not so modern, and maybe not quite haunted but it had that _feel_ and—Allen was sick, just down the hallway, and there was the guy I had probably been talking to on the phone, greeting Cloud like they were siblings.

"Like I said,"_ Definitely_ a French accent, "Allen isn't…doing so well. But he does want to talk to you still." He sounded like he didn't quite believe it himself.

And suddenly, I really _really_ didn't like this guy. Liked him even less than when we talked over the phone, _'But I barely know him.' _That was true, _'Wait and see.' _All logic…that didn't want to listen to.

Kanda didn't look like he cared pretty much about anything. Then again, that was _normal_. Except for the way his eyes flickered to _me_ when—I jerked my gaze away. That _wasn't_ normal. That _wasn't_ Kanda-esque…

Didn't get much more thought input on _that_—and what _that_ could mean—or couldn't mean—and _damn_ was I sarcastic today? I knew I shouldn't be—not with Allen stumbling out into the hall now.

Immediately Divine swiveled on his heel, and then he was _down_ the hall in flash of Kimono--at Allen's side. Like he actually cared, but there was more _pity _there than anything else. I could see that too, from where I was standing.

"Come on, back this way," Divine murmured, though I was sure Allen didn't hear him. How could he? He looked _stoned_ (for a lack of a better term), even though I knew that technically wasn't _possible_ for him. He _wouldn't_ get stoned. Wouldn't.

"We might as well follow." Cloud said, seemingly to no one in particular, before starting down the hall.

Oddly enough Kanda immediately followed her, like he had nothing _better_ to do than to try and distract himself with someone else's orders.

'_But then I don't think he trusts his mind right now.' _With everything he probably _thought_ about when—when—

'_I had to ask him.' _Because I _had_ to, _'But he didn't have to go and do what he did.' _Scaring the ever living hell _out_ of me like that.

I exhaled.

But dammit. I couldn't find myself to be all that angry about it. In the end, anyway. Well, okay, yeah I _was_ angry, who was _I_ kidding? I couldn't _not_ be. But it was dulling down, a bit. Every time I stared at him, and he _looked back_.

Like now.

But he looked away just as fast.

'_What the heck?' _

Not that I had much time to think on it—we were literally _shoved _into the room Allen was in, when that guy realized we were following him. He didn't even—he didn't even _say_ anything, or—well, he should have said _something_, but he didn't. Instead he just gave us all a really odd version of 'the look' Panda always gave _me_—

And left.

Just. Like. That.

…

'_What to say?' _

-------(Allen's POV)-------

"Thanks for coming," I tried to smile, but my mouth tasted like crap, and my throat burned. I was sure I didn't sound too good either, Lavi kept shooting me worried looks—but all the same.

Neither looked like they wanted to be here. Come to think of it, _why_ was Kanda here? Was he forced to go? Or did he come just…just because?

'_I should be glad,' _that he's finally growing a heart? Maybe, _'But I don't want him here.' _Because of—of—

'_I don't have to think about it right now, do I?' _Did I have to? I didn't want to. Maybe Cloud would take Kanda somewhere else. Or something. Or he'd _fall asleep_, but then I _never_ saw him sleep.

And what happened on the phone.

'_Was that really him?' _Lavi said he had been fine, but to—_'Sound like that?' _like he had. Like-like—

"Neh, well you called," I almost jumped at the sound of Lavi's voice. He was looking at Kanda too, and then at me, with a smile—_'He doesn't look like he wants to'_—wait. _'What put _that_ thought it my head?' _"But it's not very nice, lyin' like that."

I swallowed, "L-Lying…?"

The smile got a bit softer, "You're still sick."

"I said I felt better."

Cloud coughed off in the corner, looking at the picture of herself on the wall. Was she embarrassed? Or was she used to it by now?

"Still, you should be sleeping." Again, reprimanding, "But I can understand if ya wouldn't want to sleep." And somehow—_just with that—_he had that…that…_knowing…_thing…going on again. With that smile.

"W-Well, you're here now," and they were, "It'd be rude to just _call_ you here and then _fall asleep_." I saw Timcampy out of the corner of my eye, but it didn't seem like either of them noticed him yet. He was watching them, though. Especially Kanda. It'd be funny if he attacked Kanda. It'd probably get _that_ expression off his face too.

"We can always come back later," I turned my attention back to Lavi, he wasn't smiling as much, "But I guess since we're here…how—how did you end _up_ here in the first place?" He glanced around the room, eyes focusing for a moment on the poster of Cloud hanging on the wall. Then he looked back at me.

Kanda was looking at the floor.

"Well apparently," the room blurred for half a second, "I—ah, I threw up. A lot. And, um, I was…" Kanda was still looking at the floor. Lavi was still looking at me, and Cloud was looking at her phone, "_walking_ to get—some fresh air because Cr—" I swallowed, blinked, "I was home alone."

"Cross left you?" He sounded surprised; Cloud glanced up from her phone.

I nodded my head, "J-Just to get medicine, I think."

"Really?" Of course he didn't believe me. But he wasn't calling me on it.

'_No of course not.' _But I nodded my head anyway, "Y-yeah I don't—I don't think I was thinkin' straight when I, ah, got away from the apartment. But I wasn't really paying attention and—"

"You wound up here?" Lavi finished, sighing, "Jeez, for a sick person you sure do get around." I felt my lips twitch into a weak smile, he smiled back, "Y'gotta be more careful, understand?"

Kanda's left leg twitched. Lavi noticed. Looked. Then looked away. Cloud pushed herself away from the wall—

"I agree," I jolted when she actually spoke. Her expression softened, and she held up her phone, "I got a message from Tiedoll." Kanda went rigid, "I probably need to take it." She cast a glance towards the Bakanda, "And _he'll_ probably want to talk with you."

A look to me. A look to Lavi. A look to Kanda, still sitting on the floor.

"Ah, yeah, he _did_ call earlier." Lavi admitted—did he…he didn't look happy about it. I swallowed, and Kanda twitched, "He's prob'ly worried sick, right? You really _should_ talk to him. Or, well," he waved one hand and tried to smile again.

It got Kanda to stand, at least. It got him to walk—still proudly, even if he—because something _was_ wrong right?—regardless of that, he _always_ was—he always had that. About him.

"We'll either be out in the hall, or outside." Cloud commented as she slid the door open, "Wherever I get the best reception." And then she was gone, a black-haired Bakanda following after—

Oh. That meant—

The door slid shut, and Lavi _sighed_.

Looked me straight in the eye, and asked, "What _happened_?"

I tried to swallow, but it _hurt_, and Timcampy—Timcampy bristled slightly—arching his back, not hissing, but he probably _would_.

Did I have to say it?

"Do I have to guess?" He asked, in turn, like he had _read my mind_. But then he was _like that_ so it wasn't that surprising. He leaned back slightly, studying the ceiling.

I tried to swallow again. To form words. But my throat _burned_, and I felt like I was going to be _sick_ again, and that _wasn't_ good because they came _all the way_ here—and—

"He hurt you." Plain and simple and a disgusting shiver ran down my spine. He was staring at me again with his one good eye, "He hurt you _like that_. So it's probably your body's reaction to it." Looking at the floor now, "I can guess _that_ but—why did you run away?"

-------(Lavi's POV)-------

He was shaking, and he probably didn't notice it either. They were small shivers, mostly in his hands—which had a death grip to be rivaled with, well, pretty much _anything_, on the bed sheets—but running up to his elbows, and then his legs would shift. It was distracting, like that _cat_ that kept staring at him while he did it.

He wouldn't look me in the eye either, and maybe that's what I hated the most. Yuu _always_ looked me in the eye. Always. When he didn't something was _so_ wrong like—like now—and—

It wouldn't do any good bringing _him_ up. No. I pushed him from my mind, _'Focus.' _On the white haired teen in front of me, _'Who looks like he has the possibility of throwing up him innards all over you.' _

Ha. Not funny. Now. Anyway.

I exhaled, "Look, Allen." Those shivers again, "You called me. We—we _are_ going to talk about this. You…_have_ to say something." Because he _had_ to, and it made me sick knowing that—"I know you didn't run away because of the…way he _treated_ you." I couldn't say that word in front of him. Not now, "If you did then you would've run a long time ago. Why now?" He shivered again, more violently, "It _does_ have to do with Cross doesn't it?"

He opened his mouth in a way he had been doing for the past couple of times. Like he generally _did_ want to say something, but then the shivers would take over, and his mouth would close, and he would flinch as he tried to swallow.

He really _did_ look like he was about to be sick. But somehow—even with the possibility of him puking his guts all over me—that didn't matter. I scooted closer to him on the bed, placing one hand on his shoulder—feeling the tremors that I couldn't see—

"Allen?"

He gasped then—at the contact—at his _name_—and leaned into the touch, bowing his head even further—"Allen look at _me_." His head didn't move but I felt his eyes on me, looking through his bangs, which drooped messily in front of them.

I smiled reassuringly, and felt his body shake with an intake of breath.

The first words out of his mouth?

"_Mother_."

"What?"

He lifted his head a bit, eyes unfocused but staring at me, "_Mother_—he—he mentioned—_mother_."

"What—" Well, yeah he _was_ adopted, and it was never said that his parents were _dead _exactly, but he never—"did he say?"—he never acted like they were _alive_.

"He said…she's _alive_." Ah. Well. And _tears_. Crap.

"Allen," I squeezed his shoulder comfortingly, he leaned into it even further, "that's not a _bad _thing. It means you can meet her, right?" He tensed, and almost jerked away, but instead, his head rose even _further_ and I was hit with a pointed glance—

That I really wouldn't forget. Probably ever.

Grey-silver with _tears_ in them, "I…don't…_want_ to." Firmer than he had sounded in a while, "I don't _want_ to meet the person who—the mother who a-a-b_andoned_ me like—like that and—" the tears were gushing now, "_she_ I'm—I'm not _like_ her. I can't be like her. Cross was _lying_. Mana—"he choked on the name, "Mana wouldn't _lie_ to me. Yeah I mean they _probably_ knew each other, but Mana doesn't lie. Mana was a better parent than—than someone who a—_bandoned_—and—Cross said I _looked _like her, but I _can't_—"

His voice was getting higher and higher pitched—I could hear footsteps out in the hall, and I was _sure_ someone would probably walk in if he didn't shut up—they'd probably think he was sick, or hurt or—

"Allen, Allen," I let go of his shoulder and instead opted to loop that one arm around him, pulling him into a one-armed hug—which he returned and—

And _then_…and then—

_Kanda_.

And _Cloud_, peeking in, over his shoulder—

"Oh," The only word out of her mouth, then a rushed, "It was a false alarm." She meant the phone call, I was sure, "All—"

I shook my head.

She looked away, down, then, "Ka—"

But she was cut off. Not by me, not by Allen's sobs, not by that annoying _Divine_ guy—but by _Kanda_, Kanda who—_wait. _Something—I wasn't—well I _was_ pissed but, it was _cold_ now. Not scalding, not burning, and I felt _relief_ when I heard his voice—

"Something _did_ happen." But his expression didn't change. His voice didn't change. He didn't move an inch—well he did, but only to shrug off the impending hand of Cloud that would rest on his shoulders.

Then he'd move, but only enough to turn around and slide the door shut again. Because somehow—

_Somehow_

He understood. At least a little bit. At least _enough_.

-------(Divine's POV)-------

"Something happened?" I watched as Cloud dialed a number frantically into her phone before holding it up to her ear. She didn't even give me a nod, and I almost half wondered if she _heard_ me. Which, of course, she did. I knew she had to, I was standing _right_ next to her, after all. But I supplied the answer myself, "So it did. The poor boy," That got a glaring snap of a glance. One I could smile at, "It's better than him bottling it in, though."

Considering I was more than positive she was _contacting_ this "Cross" person. This "Cross" that the poor boy had _mentioned_ so carelessly in his _sleep_, which even that redhead had known—

And a glance down the hallway provided a view of that other boy that had been dragged here, half dead. Chome was trying to converse with him, if only briefly. She had heard the crying too, most likely.

'_He's blocking the door.' _And he was, sitting in front of it, actually.

But it _would_ be bad if she attempted to move him. After all, he didn't _seem_ like he was even altogether _there_. In the bad sort of sense. But then he didn't seem like he _wanted_ to be. Here, anyway.

He was a brooder. A silent type. The _stoic_. Something someone could probably fall for—

Oh where was I going with this?

I exhaled and turned my attention, briefly, back to Cloud. She was hissing words into the receiver like—"You _really_ screwed up"—"Lavi's in there with him."—"I don't know _what_ you did, but you _need _to apologize—A glare. At me.

And a gracious shooing motion, which I followed, with each footstep down the hallway, towards a Chome who looked just about ready to give up, to the door that muffled the sobs of the crying boy—and the redhead who knew what was going on—and the ebony haired one, sitting, like a statue, blocking the door that muffled these sounds, and preventing normal entrance—

"Chome," she jumped like a skittish cat almost, "Where did Dana run off to?" She looked confused for roughly half a second at best, before her eyes flickered towards the doors leading out to the backyard, "Could you go watch him then?" She didn't even have to say anything.

Except she did anyway, "But—" she looked at the door, at the teen in front of it, who continued staring at the floor, and then finally at me again, "I'm worried."

"You can _be_ worried while watching Dana. You know those cats don't really like him." Now that _really_ confused her.

"I thought that was you." She even felt the need to _say_ so.

Which was almost funny, "Well, they don't like me much either, but you never know when they'll turn into vicious cannibals."

Her eyes narrowed, but thankfully she said nothing this time around, instead choosing her _actions_ over her words. She was gone in a matter of minutes, stalking back out to the yard, and leaving us alone in the hall in front of the door muffling the sobs from the crying boy.

I looked down at the teen on the ground. Kanda, or Yuu, or something like that, "You're planning on sitting there all day?" He didn't respond, "_All_ day?" I repeated. Again, no movement, "Until that boy stops crying over whatever that man did to make him run away?"

His eyes snapped up at that. But again _no words_. "Tch," Oh, a sound effect.

"With the way Cloud dragged you out, I'd assume you don't know a thing about what happened?"

"You don't either." _Three_ words. That he looked like he wished he hadn't spoken.

"True," Because it was, well enough anyway, "But I can guess, and it's _not_ pretty." He didn't answer that, just shifted a bit on the ground. Then I had to ask, "Will you ask that red-head when he comes out?"

Oh…a_nother_ reaction.

"No."

"You'll assume he'll _tell_ you?"

His eyes snapped up to mine in a glare, "No."

"Then what?" I leaned down, his reaction to _that_ was interesting too. Like he had an aversion to human touch, all because it was _annoying_. Much better than how he looked when he arrived. Definitely. Surely.

"I…don't _care_ about that." Five words this time, looking to the side.

"Then what _do_ you care about?" I was on my knees in front of him, which was apparently disturbing him, from the way his fingers twitched. It looked like he'd say something though—his lips were twitching too. I just, maybe, had to _wait_.

Or. Not that long.

"None of your business," it was something he said regularly too, from the way he said it.

'_So he's the stoic who hates humanity.' _Who looked like a dead doll when he first walked in the door.

"R_eally_?" I cocked my head to the side, "I'm allowed to _guess, _right?"

He opened his mouth, but I cut him off—

"If it doesn't have anything to do with the crying kid, _or_ what happened to him, and it's not because the redhead will _tell_ you these things later, then," his fingers twitched again, "Is it for the redhead in general?"

Oh I hit a _sore_ spot.

But he didn't look away. He was _forcing_ himself not to look away, "No." But the 'no' he gave was obviously a lie.

"Really?" His eyes snapped back to me, briefly, he _knew_ I didn't believe him, "Well, assuming you were _lying _just now," his eyes narrowed, I wanted to laugh, but I didn't, "I'd say if it _was_ for the redhead, then I'd have to ask _why_ for the redhead? Didn't they just _drag_ you here?"

A pause. Then a nod, "They did, but," his mouth suddenly clamped shut, like he had been _about_ to say something he probably would have regretted.

"But?" It was so _interesting_, and from the look on his face, "What is it? There's something else?" He looked away again, made a sound effect again—_'Cold, stoic, hates humanity, not a wonderful combination. In fact, quite deadly—' _I exhaled, "Nothing, hmm?"

He nodded his head, but it was a jerky motion. A lying motion. He wouldn't say anymore. Or—well I _could_ pester him. But.

I sighed, pushing myself up off the floor, "Fine then, keep that little bit to yourself." His head jerked again, to look at me, "Or, well, don't keep it from the redhead." His eyes narrowed again, just as I heard a loud yowl coming from the yard.

'_Cannibals. They're cannibals I tell you.' _

I turned away and started walking. If Dana—Timothy—was _hurt_ then—

"His name's Lavi." I paused, and turned my head. He was leaning his head against the door now, not looking at me.

"What?"

"The 'redhead' is _Lavi_. That's his _name_."

I resisted the urge to smile, but my lips wouldn't listen, "Really now? I'll make sure to call him that next time." Even though I already _knew_ his name. He just had red hair. It stuck out. It—

This time there was a sharp cry to echo with the hissing and the cat claws—

"Now if you excuse me."

But the cold stoic misanthropist wasn't looking anymore. Of course he wouldn't. he was staring at the wall across the hallway—well, actually, the bathroom across the hallway—brooding again. Silent and brooding. But not _lifeless_.

That's what mattered, right?

-------(Tyki's POV)-------

"So you're saying we're all going to go crazy?" I didn't even half mind when Sheryl shoved me into the passenger's side of my _own car_. Not that I wouldn't be able to concentrate, _but_ it sounded like he needed it more than I did. Or rather, he _looked_ it. Also like he hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before—but _what_?

I didn't like the prospect of me potentially going crazy. Certainly wasn't the _top_ part of my agenda on _any_ day of the, well, _year_.

"Not all of us Tyki-pon." Okay, I _did_ mind the fact that Road decided to follow us, with that boy in tow. But then, I apparently had no say-so in this. That bothered me. More than bothered me. "That's just Jasdevi for ya," and she was eating _candy_ and—

"Don't touch anything." I warned.

She laughed, "I'll be careful."

"I do _not _want to clean _melted candy_ off my seats again." I wish I could have put more force behind those words, but I _couldn't_. At least, not right now.

"You won't." She replied back, just as lazily. She knew I wouldn't snap at her for that. She _knew_.

The boy next to her shivered and popped another sweet tart in his mouth. Like a pill popper. That in and of itself was disturbing. Reminded me of—_'Don't let him turn into another Skinn Boric.' _

But again, _none of that _was important, "What do you _mean_ 'not all of us' going crazy?" I saw her raise an eyebrow, and ignored it. She was probably eating that candy on _purpose_, because she _knew_ it bothered me. A distraction.

"Like I said, it's just something they _do_."

"So it's a practical joke?" She flinched. Now _that_ came out harsher than intended, with a well deserved _laugh_ behind it that—_why is that even there?_ I opened my mouth to apologize, but Sheryl cut me off:

"It isn't." Then, I noticed—his voice shaking, "and do _not_ speak to my daughter like that."

"I was going to apologize, but can you blame me?" Again I put too much force behind the words, but I was _confused _and it was most likely the only way I'd get answers. Didn't mean I couldn't feel guilty though, so I turned my head away from them. Seeing them would make it _worse_, "You call me here to deal with some _kid_ and then _bam_ that gets thrown at me? I wouldn't be confused?"

"It's not just you." Road replied, quietly.

"I _know_." I exhaled. This wasn't working. Even with her _voice_ I felt guilty.

"Do you?" Again, just as quietly, "You're under a lot of heat now, too, y'know." But _taunting_.

"Am I?" I resisted the urge to turn my head, to taunt _back_ at her. If I looked at them now—I'd want to take it all back. I knew I would. They were _family_, even that _boy_ now was as good as a _brother_. I didn't have the right to speak to them that way, but—

"With Lavi," It was like she was _reminding_ me, when I already knew.

"_Yes_ with Lavi," I exhaled loudly, "What else? _What else_ about him?" Because apparently that part of the conversation had been lost in translation. Or it hadn't, not really, but Road knew more. Maybe. She knew more about what was _wanted_.

"You _like _him a little too much."

"Because I think he's useful?" I leaned back slightly in the seat, staring _hard_ at my reflection in the window, "We want Kanda don't we?"

"And only Kanda." A glance (through the window) showed a _very_ tense Sheryl, "No red-heads attached."

"Even if the attachment makes the boy come willingly?" Not that I could call Kanda a _boy_—much less anything else but what he _was_, which was downright _untouchably_ gorgeous.

"We don't know that for certain." Still tense, again I resisted the urge to turn my head. Maybe it _wasn't_ such a good idea to let him drive.

"So we don't know if it won't work. Or if it will."

A loud sigh, "But getting more people _involved_ than we necessarily need to," he paused, and glanced at me, "You do know what he was a part of, right?"

"And if I do?" Which I did, sort of. He never outright _said_ it, but that mark had been easy enough to decipher, even in the dim lighting of a classroom. The 'mark' of a Bookman, or one of that _clan_.

"Then you should know. He won't be played easily." I raised an eyebrow at that, "Getting him close has the potential to _backfire_." Another breath, "And he's too close already, with the accident. He mustn't come any closer."

"Then he won't."

"But you're _making_ him, Tyki-pon." Road spoke up again, along with the crinkling of another sweet-tart wrapper, "Just by knowing him, you're _bringing_ him closer." I could feel her eyes on me, "He's probably the worst person you could _choose_."

"Probably," I consented, but neither of them heard me.

"I'm sure you know he's had training—against blackmail," Sheryl was speaking now, "also against any _charm_ you might try to persuade him with."

'_Ah, of course,' _But that's what made it _fun_.

"What if—" I tried, but again, went ignored.

"And of course, force is out of the question. I'm not sure _what_ you tried before you made this _official_." He was talking about _that_. How long was it now, since I found _that_ out in the dimly lit classroom of the school he used to go to? A week? Two weeks?—"Do you understand?"

I blinked and really _did_ turn my head, "What? Sorry, I lost you." He slammed on the breaks at a red-light, and _glared_ at me.

"Tyki." Then he exhaled, "I _said_, I don't know what you tried to do to him before making this official—but it most likely hasn't worked. It's been two weeks, he's found a way around it by now."

"Not particularly." They finally got a chance to hear me, "What if, say, it was a combination of the two things?"

"Force and pleasure?" Road asked, just for clarification.

"Yes," I nodded.

"Did you rape him?"

_Stab._

"No." That wasn't—"That's not funny."

"_Road_!" Even Sheryl—"you shouldn't _know_ about things like that!"

"But I _do_." The boy next to her was shivering again, or, well, he always had been, but it was getting worse, and Road had slung one arm around him now, to keep him from falling forward. "So you didn't rape him, what'd you do instead?"

"He's friends with Kanda," I stated a fact they both already knew, "Or at least, he is _now_, but as you said, Sheryl, he _used to be_ a Bookman." In training, obviously, but nearly the same thing.

"He still has the training in him."

"The training to not fall in love?" It was an honest question, yes it went with _pleasure_ and Sheryl _probably_ was going to mention that, being the dear _brother_—

"Yes, which renders _your_ charms completely useless."

"But not Kanda's." The light turned green, but I was sure he didn't notice.

Road did, though, "Green light, Papa." The engine jerked to a start.

"Kanda?" He even managed to get a word out too, while trying to focus. Because _maybe_ he hadn't thought of that.

"Why do you think they became friends?" That was an honest question too, "And do you _know_ how long they've been friends?"

A shake of the head to both, though that might have been him concentrating, and getting his hair—which was coming loose from his ponytail—out of his face. It didn't matter though, they were _listening_ now. Meaning I could actually _say_ something for once and generally _not_ be interrupted.

"You can't know Kanda's past without the redhead being in it." To start off vaguely, and to earn confusing glances from the both of them, "His parents _died_." They knew that as well, "Kanda met _Lavi_ a month before. They became _friends_—on the day they _died_."

Ah, recognition to the both of them.

"Kanda was in the hospital." I continued, "Lavi went there _first_. He was still an apprentice then, but he went _anyway_. They became friends _anyway_, it's perfectly logical to say it could develop into something _more_, correct?"

"That isn't guaranteed." Sheryl again.

"Of course it isn't." I agreed, "But did you know? Two years ago they stopped all contact with the _clan_."

"You asked him?" Road sounded shocked, and amused.

"Indirectly. Just like us, they refer to themselves as _family_."

"So he hasn't spoken to his 'family' in two years?" Again Road, again amused, I nodded my head, "Is that when he started liking him, then?"

"He still had his training—"

"True," I cut him off, "it depends on how much you think a _year_ can really do to a person."

"A year?"

"A. Year." I repeated, turning my head to the window, "And how much relief that brings by _not_ being what he was to that group."

"What he was?" Road.

"Road!" Sheryl

"No, I mean—you know what he _was_?" She sounded even more surprised, "Papa I thought you said that was really hard to figure out!" But it didn't sound like she was angry, then again she _never_ sounded angry. Even when she actually _was_. Which was hardly never a_nyway_, and the fact that this might make her angry was—slim to none.

"Because it _is_ hard to figure out." Sheryl shot back, loosening up just a little, "How did you--?"

"Call it _looking_ in the right spot." Right spot being in the place normally hidden that was in plain sight.

"Which is?" Egging me on, the both of them.

"Now why would I tell you _that_?" I smiled and, well, at least _Sheryl_ looked taken aback, "Though it _was_ important in blackmailing him."

"How—?"

"Again, it's not the most important thing." It was just the more _interesting_ one, "Being relieved from that status, as I _said_—as you two _know_—would be a relief. He was finally allowed to act _human_ enough to fit in."

"But—" Again Sheryl tried to bring up the—_obvious_ hint of—but that wasn't the moral of the story. No.

"And that's when he fell in love?" Road, on the other hand, seemed more willing to give it up.

I nodded my head in return, and she—she _smiled_? "So that's why it was easy?" She pulled the shaking boy closer and leaned back against the seat, "I _thought _it was odd. Two weeks and you'd think he'd break ties." She let out a soft giggle, "But what'd you _do_? What'd you say you'd _do_?"

"Oh that?" she nodded her head vigorously, and Sheryl's eyes continued to stare me down—bore a hole in the side of my head, even, "actually it was simple. I'd steal Kanda away."

_Silence_.

Then—

"Weren't you planning on doing that _anyway_?"

I smiled, "Of course, it was the job assigned to me. This way it's just easier."

"Easier _how_?" Sheryl's gaze intensified further when we stopped at a stop-sign, "Or were you _not_ listening?"

"He's already guessed that I'm dangerous." He looked horrified, "He guessed that when he laid _eyes_ on me the first time. But as the saying goes, keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." I gave Sheryl another smile, which he did _not _like, "It's exactly as I'm doing. In fact, it would be _that much harder_ if he _was _just friends with Kanda."

Because then he'd get dangerous. And _that _would be—would be—something I _couldn't _let happen. Couldn't, plain and simple. Well. Not plain, and definitely not _simple_, actually quite complicated and a bit of burning—

This _was_ Lavi. Meaning Lion. Meaning Lion in rabbit's clothing. Black Rabbits, to be _exact_.

------(Lavi's POV)------

"I'm so _sorry_," He apologized for the fourth time in a row, watching me from the toilet seat—or hanging _off_ the toilet seat, more like it—as I washed my hands for the second time, "I really—_really_ didn't mean to—"

"It's fine." I held one dripping hand up, smiling down at him, "You're sick. You didn't know."

He looked down at the toilet rim, "But—I _should've_ felt it."

"You're _sick_." I repeated, "And you were crying. It's _fine_."

"But—" He was going to say it now, I knew it, "I threw _up _on you!"

"Yeah you did." I let out a laugh that seemed to surprise him, "and I don't _care_. You're sick. I understand."

"But—" he sighed, "It's _gross_."

"It is." I laughed again, walking over to him and tentatively ruffling his hair, "Though if you're gonna apologize to anyone, apologize to _Chome_—she's the one who has to wash it." It being my shirt.

Hell I was _glad_ it was just my shirt.

Oh and the bed too, but that was a given. They had more blankets too, so it wasn't too big of a loss.

"Still," he pushed my hand away, "I don't think I've ever thrown _up_ on anyone." He thought about that for a moment, "Except maybe Mana, _but_,"

"Yeah, I get it." I tried to ruffle his hair again, but he grabbed my hands before I could, ensuing in an odd round of push-and-pull. Which I was winning, because he was _sitting_ and I was standing and it was funny--

Up until someone walked by the door. "You look like _you're_ feeling better." Immediately our hands locked, and we both turned to the familiar voice—

"Divine!" Allen—sounded _happy_, "I'm really sorry about the sheets."

His apology was met with a smile, "Dana used to get sick often, I'm quite used to it." His eyes met mine for a second before he looked away, "I have a few extra shirts, if you wish to borrow one."

"It's fine." I unlatched my hands from Allen's, "We're just going home after this anyway." Since Cloud had something to do, and she was our only means of transportation at the moment, "I can get a shirt there."

"Then I suppose we'll get your shirt back when it dries." His smile faltered a moment, "Cloud will have to give it to you, considering I have no idea where you two live." He cocked his head slightly to the side, "Which reminds me, your friend—Kanda?—seems a bit antsy."

_Ah_.

"Yeah," I heard Allen snicker under his breath, "He doesn't like…_socializing_, or places he isn't familiar with."

"Really?" But he sounded like he _knew that_ _already_, "Well then, it might be better for his sake if you leave soon. He looked just about ready to storm out of here after—" he paused again, shaking his head, "He's waiting in the front room. Almost as skittish as one of the cats out back. Really." Then he turned on his heel, and continued down the hallway, towards the back where—I _think_—the backyard was? Side yard?

"Kanda skittish like a Cat?" I turned back to Allen, who was sitting on his rear _smiling _for once, "That's odd. But it's better, right?"

"Eh?"

His smile widened just a bit, "I mean—he didn't _look_ good when you guys came in." _Oh, that? _More like _He noticed_? "But he looks better now, when he, um, I mean he _helped_ right?"

"Clean up?" He nodded his head, "Yeah I was surprised too." Since I half expected him to be _disgusted_ by it, then go off somewhere to get rid of the _smell_. Considering he _hated_ kids, and kids happened to get sick too much, and that involved _throwing up_.

But this time he didn't say a word about it. He just _helped_. That was a definite improvement. Had to wonder _why_ though—

"He looked like he wanted to apologize." I blinked, and suddenly Allen jerked his head up—waving his hands in the same motion—"I mean, that's what it, um, _looked_ like, I guess. I dunno—I mean—"

I blinked again, "What? I—mean—go on, what?"

He lowered his hands a bit, "W-Well, when—you remember when we stayed at Lenalee's and you an' Kanda—walked out?" I nodded my head slowly, "Well, when you left, she um, y'know—she wasn't happy at all. She was _crying_, and I think I—sorta—made it worse by saying that—um, Kanda was probably just _pissed_ at the world, and she hit me really, really hard! You know she can hit hard right?" He laughed nervously, "And well, she said something about me not understanding, and that I _should_ a little because it looked like something bad happened and she was worried about the both of you _and—_"

"The moral of the story is?" I cut him off—mainly because he was talking too damn fast, but also because his face was turning that sickening white color, he was probably going to throw up again, and I wanted him to be facing the _toilet_ and not _me_ when he did that.

I did _not_ wanna walk out of this house clad in just boxers. _That_ was something even _I_ wouldn't do.

"Kanda—I need to understand Kanda, so I thought I'd try because I just remembered that while we were cleaning—and I thought he, when he _looked _at you he wanted to _apologize_ because I think—whatever happened—I'd probably wanna apologize too, and that sounds kinda _silly_ doesn't it?" He reached one hand out and gripped the rim of the toilet seat again, face paling that much more. But he was waiting for a response before he could puke his innards out again, so I had to give him one.

"No, no, I don't think it's silly! You might actually be right," Now actually _getting_ him from the 'wanting' to apologize to the 'actual' apology…was another story entirely, "I dunno why he _would_ though," Okay, yeah I did, but Allen didn't need to worry about—"And you look like you're about to puke, so _puke_."

"Ah, but—" he looked self-conscious _now_ of all times?

'_Give me a break would ya?' _I exhaled loudly, "You're sick. You're allowed to throw up. Chome said she had to help you to the bathroom _last_ time." Because apparently she tried to get in earlier, because she was _worried_ about Allen. But Kanda had blocked the way. I'd have to ask him about _that_ too. But Later.

"I was—I don't _remember _that."

"And you're awake now?" He nodded his head, "And you don't wanna throw up in front of _me_?" Another quick nod, "Why the heck not? You threw _up_ on me." He looked apologetic, I shook my head, "Which I'm still not mad about." But it didn't make him feel any better, "You said you threw up on Mana, too, right?" He didn't nod, but I knew he said he probably had, "Then consider me your older brother, or somethin'."

Wait. _Where_ did that come from?

"Wha--?"

_'Run with it anyway.' _Because maybe I wanted to. I smiled, "Yeah—you threw up on Mana, you threw up on me. Family—we're allowed to see you get sick." I was afraid to touch him, which might trigger it, so instead I squatted down next to him and smiled even wider.

_That_ seemed to do the trick though, and—well—yeah, throwing up _was _gross and—

"Towel! We need another towel!" I straightened up and turned, poking my head out into the hallway—about to repeat myself—

But Kanda.

Kanda was standing _right_ there. With two towels, folded, nicely, in his arms. _Standing_ there. Like he'd been—_standing there_—for a while. Or at least more than a minute.

"Ah—" and my voice chose _this_ exact moment to stop working. Great. But it didn't matter, he _threw_ the towels at me, not caring if they landed in a heap on the floor—which they didn't, but it _could_ have happened, right?—and turned away.

Took two steps.

Then said, "That was the stupidest thing you've said _today_, Rabbit."

Rabbit. He said _Rabbit_. He didn't say _'Lavi'_. And he heard what I _said_ too—but which part? Was he even standing there when _Divine_ walked by, or? Or?

I felt myself smiling anyway, because he was walking away again, and I finally had words I could say—"Yeah, but I _meant_ it, Yuu." Because I did. But—I wasn't sure what I was replying to. What he said, yeah, but—something else too. Something I said before. Maybe even more than that, but—

"Was that Kanda?" I turned my head back to Allen, who was trying to push himself off the floor, wiping his mouth on his shirt sleeve, looking pale, and a little weak, but better than he had been.

"Yeah it was." I held up both of the towels, tossing one at him, and dropping the other on the counter, "He brought towels." I stated the obvious, because it was the truth for once, and didn't need any extra words. This was _Kanda_ after all.

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**Err, uh, I-I really don't know what happened, but…I-I really like this chapter. Wow. Okay that's a relief, considering the rut I've been in lately. Oh yes, an important note:**

**Another VERY important scene will (most likely) happen during the next chapter. With Kanda, and Lavi, and sort-of Apologies. So if you want that to happen, PLEASE review!**

**As in, really. Motivation being shot, aside, reviews are powerful little buggers, really powerful. **

**So…have Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC (PLEASE be gentle on this field. Part of my motivation downer was something someone said on another fanfic of mine...um, and I'll stop there. Though I will say it wasn't so much about the fic **_**itself**_** as it was, ah…-cuts self off-) Send it via review! **

**Till the Next Chapter**

**Harmony283 **


	33. Thursday

**Chapter 32 here annnd…it's late again, isn't it? It is, isn't it? Agh I promised myself I wouldn't but x.x –sighs- really sorry about that. I think I kinda got sidetracked with something else I'm working on (an original piece -in case anyone's interested- a LOT harder than it sounds)…and yeah. Summertime motivation is good, but not when you're trying to multi-task –laughs-**

**Summary: Cloud wants to know _what_ exactly Cross did to make Allen run away, but will she tolerate Cross long enough to find out? Or will he just continue to play the avoiding game? Speaking of avoiding games--Kanda hasn't exactly been around much and Lavi's starting to wonder if he's avoiding him. And what's this about a group project? _With who_? Oh dear...  
**

**Note: Pepsi. I had to go back to **_**Chapter Six **_**(page 66) because I forgot what the heck Lavi and Kanda had in their fridge (oh the irony that it is—I'm drinking Pepsi right now as we speak. –silence- Okay maybe that's not funny). Also—it is THURSDAY. Officially. Just because. –to clear that up- I also really…really hate ants –twitch-(not that you need to know that...) -COUGH-  
**

**And of course THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who reviewed for the last chapter! (11 reviews~ That makes me happy XD)-hugs to all- I'm almost to 250 reviews!  
**

**TokyoDarjeeling: **Tis fine, tis fine, I figured exams just about sucked out people's lives (it's why I'm glad I worked my butt off and didn't have to take mine), but congrats on getting them over with—I hope you did well! Ah yes, that chapter…I actually went back and re-read it (before I uploaded it) to make sure you _could_ read it without missing out on anything, I was happy when I could (I generally don't like writing those scenes to begin with, but they're needed) so I'm glad someone else could as well (and you're very welcome). And yes there was a huge amount of character development (you'll see it later on for Allen, when he gets better) but especially with Kanda, though most of it is in his head, so you weren't able to really _see_ it (or read it). And of course thank you VERY much for the review! (and the tiny boost) I'm feeling _much_ better now! –huge mega hug here-

-------(**Cloud's POV**)-------

"I'll never understand how you can stand it here." I muttered, sucking in the only breath of fresh air I'd receive, before stepping into the bar. I never liked this restaurant. Ever. Even though it was probably the more popular places—

The _Dancing Pineapple._

Who named their restaurant after a _fruit_? _Who_?

But Cross just laughed, and set his beer down once again, lips stretching into that drunken smile I had never liked in the first place, "You don't get out much do ya?" He slurred, leaning across the table, legs bumping mine beneath.

I let out a hiss and scooted as far back as the booth would allow. It only seemed to amuse him more, "I get out _enough_ thank you very much." I snapped back, cutting off another would-be laugh, "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't get _drunk_ within five minutes of me being here."

But every single one of the waitresses seemed more than happy to comply with his _needs_. Needs being the three other bottles of beer, resting off to the side, precariously close to the edge of the table—if it hadn't been propped up against the wall.

"I'm not drunk," He shot back, lazily bumping his leg against mine again, "You were _late_ too, what else do you expect me to do?"

"Wait?" I offered, pulling one leg up under me, making him scowl, "What? Not everyone's an alcoholic like you are."

"And you're so bitter." He lifted the bottle to his mouth, finishing it off in one swig—probably _just_ to annoy me. He was so _kind_. "You need ta loosen up."

"When you already are?" I wasn't sure he heard me; he didn't look like he had. I exhaled, "Look, as far as _I know_ we did _not_ come here to drink and talk about good times."

"Good times?" He raised an eyebrow, and leaned back, "What good times? I don't remember any good times with _you_ around."

"Your fault." I shot back, "but you're right—no use talking about _that_." And—oh—he lit a _cigarette _now. Just to annoy me. Again.

"No need for bad blood, as they say," He puffed the smoke _right in my face_ before setting it down in the ashtray, and propping his feet, rudely, up, "Now what the fuck do you want?"

I bristled, "You know what I want."

He seemed to think that over for a moment before shrugging, "Nah, don't think I do." He cocked his head ever so slightly to one side. But he wasn't grinning.

I sighed, _'At least he's trying to take me seriously.' _Because if he didn't then—"Allen." He tensed, almost unnoticeably in the bad light, but I caught it and it _worried_ me, "It's about Allen. Why he's—why he _ran away_." He opened his mouth but before he said a word, I cut him off—"and don't say it wasn't your fault. You…_said_ something, didn't you?" He tensed even more, withdrawing his feet from the table, "you—_did_ something, didn't you?" I lowered my voice at that. Because—

I didn't want it to be _true_. After all—

"If you did, Mana _help me_," Because _Mana_ was the one who left him in charge after he—died. He wouldn't leave Allen to—to someone who would—and his _reaction _wasn't helping anything.

When it came down to it—he could be guilty, just like the rest of us. He could _act it _too. And he did, now, under the influence of alcohol and maybe his own conscience.

"You did do something, didn't you?" I lowered my voice even further, and watched as his eyes narrowed and focused on his cigarette slowly burning in the ashtray. _That wasn't good, _"You did do something, didn't you?"

He exhaled loudly, "If you'd stop askin' maybe I'd _tell_ you." His eye focused on me before ripping away to look across the restaurant, "But first—aren't you hungry?"

"I'm going to have to pay for your stuff anyway." I thought I saw him flinch. He was _too easy_ to read tonight, "But no, I don't think I could eat _anyway_."

A small smile flittered across his lips, "You worry about him too much, y'know?"

"How can I not?" Regardless of any misgivings I felt myself relax slightly back against the booth, "Mana left him up to _you_. _You_ of all people—he's turning in his grave right now, I swear."

"If he doesn't just up and dig 'imself out to come and _haunt_ me." So he _was_ regretting whatever he had done—

He _had_ done something. Horrible.

He sighed again, rubbing his forehead with one hand and reaching for his cigarette with the other, "Maybe this place _wasn't_ the best, y'know?"

"You chose it."

"You've never been here." He stated it like a fact.

And it was one, "Can you blame me? We just got back."

"I heard you had a nice turn out." His smile turned wistful, "I remember when we travelled together. Y'know? With Mana, and—"

"I remember," I cut him off, "Now isn't the time for _sentimentality_."

His lips twitched downward, just one side—a lopsided grin, "Of course. You always _did_ take it as a business."

"Because I have to. I _run_ that very same circus you _freeloaded_ on what was it now? Fifteen years ago? A little less?" I reminded him, feeling a dull throb start at the base of my neck. If I was getting a headache _now_—then this definitely wasn't going to be pleasant, "But like I said," I continued on, "Now isn't the time for sentiments. You told me you would _tell me _what crap you pulled with Allen." He knew I meant business. He _had_ to know I was serious. Or else this wouldn't get anywhere.

The smile on his face slowly eased away, replaced by an almost _tired_—_exhausted_—_'How old is he again?' _I never knew in the first place—expression. Even his eyes looked old. Because he knew, at least—or he got it.

I was thankful. _'Maybe he'll take me seriously for once.' _

He let out a sigh, "Of course you have the right to know." He mumbled more to himself than me, his face falling ever so slightly—gaze too, to the table. He wasn't looking at me again, "Outta everyone—it's sad. You were given so little—to raise Allen." His eye narrowed briefly, "That's why—I called _you_ here. If I wanted to, I'd go t'Mana's grave and leak my heart out, but the dead never do anything for you in the end." He placed the cigarette back in the ashtray, and even the movement looked old—

"I won't console you." I couldn't keep the bitterness from my voice, "you _know_ I won't."

His lips twitched, but it wasn't a smile, "I know. You'll probably punch the hell outta me until I'm black and blue and can't move." Again his lips twitched, "Hell—you can even cut off the parts that make me a _man_, and you'd—well, okay, no I wouldn't let you do _that_." The laugh was old too. Older than it had been. Older than I remembered.

"But if you don't," he continued on, laughter dying bitterly on his lips like the ash from his—_'No use being poetic now' _I cut the thought off—"I'd be worried."

"Well you won't know how I'll react until you actually _get to the point_." I reminded him none-too-gently. "So hurry up." The throbbing in the back of my head suddenly spiked—giving me a _painful_ reminder of how much I _hated_ trying to reason with this man. It was never short winded when he truly had something to say. He knew how to work your nerves too—until you were _so confused _that—that—

"I said something stupid." I snapped my mouth—_I opened my mouth?_—shut at those words. Blunt and to the point. "I said he reminded me of his _mother_."

He didn't sound apologetic. Not in the least. And—I—

'_That bitch?! Allen's nothing like—' _But I couldn't say that out loud. Not with _that_ expression on his face. Because he knew—

"And that's not all I did." He exhaled, "But I don't think we should talk about it here." He stood from the booth and stretched, "You brought money with you, right?" He didn't wait for my answer, "Good. I'll be waiting outside."

I opened my mouth to—but then—

He was gone, through the crowd, disappearing—but being seen—_all at the same time._

Leaving me to pay for something I hadn't even touched.

'_Just like always.' _Or at least. That's what I _would have _thought. Had this been any different. Any different at _all_.

**-------(Lavi's POV)-------**

'_Neh, Jiji,' I picked up the bandages. They were made from itchy cloth that was supposed to go on wounds, 'Why do I hafta put this on my _face_?' _

'_Because you're hurt.' The old guy stated, grabbing a can of that icky smelling stuff, and spraying it on his head. It made his hair stick up all funny. Why did he wear his hair like that? _

'_But I'm not hurt, Jiji,' His eyes snapped to me—through the mirrors reflection—and he _scowled_._

'_Aren't hurt? Look at you, boy,' he waved with his free hand, placing the can off to the side before turning to face me, 'You are hurt and I don't want _that_ idiot to yell at me for not taking proper 'care' of his apprentice.' _

'_But I'm not hurt.' I repeated, forcing my legs to stand still when he reached me. I closed my eyes and waited for the contact. The hit. The punch. The slap he _usually _gave when I irritated him. I seemed to irritate him a lot, and I had only been his 'apprentice' for—what?—a week?_

'_Of course you aren't.' but no hit came. No contact came, 'You hide a perfectly usable eye under that eyepatch of yours, of course,' Then I felt the cool metal finger guards he always wore on my cheek, on the sides of my face—what…?_

_I jerked my face back when I felt said hands go behind my head, 'Don't fidget, boy,' He scolded, holding my head still, 'Your eye is probably infected at this point.' He exhaled but I still kept my eyes shut—_

'_Goodness knows where this eyepatch has been. You really need to take better care of yourself, boy.' Lower, under his breath, I caught the sentence, 'Even if they won't.' Then louder, 'I won't tolerate an apprentice ignorant in the basics of health and sanitation. Now let me remove this eye patch.' _

_I jerked back again and I felt the back of my head make contact with wood, and metal bracings of the low shelves that jutted out around the room. And my head—kept moving, back and forth—because—he was going to remove it, wasn't it?_

'_No, no, I'll—I wash it.' My mouth working—on it's own—'And I change to a different one every night.' _

'_Do you wash it in boiling water?' I opened my uncovered eye, my 'good' eye, and watched him back up, irritated. He was irritated again, 'Do you have the proper disinfectant, which no you do not have, since you are _ignorant_ in herbs, and I am quite sure everything is in my pack as it should be.' _

_**And those people never let you out**_

_But I knew he wouldn't say that out loud._

'_I-I don't have any creams, or disinfectants.' I lowered my gaze to his pointy shoes, which looked ridiculous on him. Made him look like a clown. Or a Panda—his make up helped with that too—but he still got respect. Somehow. I didn't get it. Should I get it?_

'_Then you are ignorant.' I didn't flinch when his hands came back again—_

'_But—' I didn't close my eyes either. I watched his face turn to, well, at least he'd listen to me, 'I'm not hurt.' _

'_Then you will be.' He reached behind me again—_

'_I'm. Not.' _

'_Of course not,' I felt the ties loosen. I was _scared_. I was—I was—_

'_I'm not. Hurt. Old man.' _

_His eyes snapped down to my face. I could feel them, but my eye was closed again. Dark. I could only see dark._

_Then the eye patch fell away—_

_And—_

'_Ah,' he murmured—cold fingers tilting my chin up, 'So _That's _what you were hiding.' Like he knew. Did he know? What did __**those guys**__ say when they finally let me go? Did they tell him? Did they—_

'_Seems the boy's more important than you thought, hmm?' And another voice—and—_

'_Snow—Leave.' _

'_You can't order me around, Pan-da.' The voice laughed, I still kept my eyes shut, 'I came here to get you anyway. The Boss wants us.' _

'_I'll be there in a moment.' I felt something tie back again—he was putting my eye patch back on—he was—_

'_Oh, oh, I wasn't making myself _**clear**. _He said he wanted us. He means the boy too.' _

- -- -- - -- -- - - -- -- - - -- -- - -

My eyes snapped open as the front door swung open, and I nearly jolted out of my seat. But I didn't, and instead my eyes whipped towards the door—half expecting to see _Bookman _standing there. But of course he wouldn't be here.

It was Kanda. Yuu. With his backpack slung over one shoulder, _'Oh right, he just got back.' _From classes probably—I looked at the clock, it said _4:54PM_—yeah his class ended four minutes ago. Wait.

"You're back early." I said, stretching my limbs and attempting to stand. I was shaky though, and I _knew why_ but didn't want to know why, "Did class end?"

He nodded his head.

"Really? But isn't this the "I'll keep you late" Professor?" I pushed myself away from the sofa again—another attempt, he was looking at me now—"Why'd he let you out early?" Because he wouldn't answer unless I bugged him.

"A project." Well…okay, he learned fast.

"Project?" He nodded his head, "What kind?"

"Research. On an Author."

"Really?" He nodded his head, "Which Author?"

He set his bookbag down, shrugging in the same motion, "I didn't choose."

Well _that _was confusing, "Then who—"

"Partner." He walked over to the fridge, rummaging around in it for a moment—I had just gone grocery shopping yesterday, after all—"We're working in groups." He didn't sound too happy about it either. But then _he wasn't a group person_.

"Really? I didn't think you'd do that _in University_."

He turned to me and scowled, "Professor's idea."

"Ah, well nothing you can do about that I guess." I stumbled over to him, legs feeling _way_ too stiff for their own good, "So who's your partner? Anyone I know?" Almost immediately as I asked I suddenly _didn't _want to know. Because what were the chances? The only one in his class I probably knew well enough was _Tyki_ and it wasn't like he'd be placed with _him_ willingly—

Or anyone really.

'_That's not helping.' _Neither was the fact he wasn't answering.

"I'm guessin' I don't know 'em then?"

I saw his muscles tense, and almost ignored it—_almost_. But he spoke, and caught my attention again just as easily, "No. You do."

"Who is it then?"

His scowl deepened and he looked away again, rummaging around for something in the fridge—_again_, "Tyki."

'_Great.' _

"Really?" I pulled out one of the stools and sat down. It was stupid but my leg really _had_ to be asleep, or _something_, "Why—" _did you choose him_? But then maybe he hadn't? I switched my words, "I mean—ah when's he coming over?"

"He said he just needed to pick up a book from his apartment." He answered, "he left before I did."

"And you took the bus?"He didn't nod, but then—"You didn't walk home, did ya?"

"It's not impossible."

Yeah but—

"So that basically means he'll be here any minute now?" I leaned back a bit, staring at the front door, _'I don't need this.' _

"Probably." He pulled out a can of pepsi and placed it on the counter, then paused, picked it up again, and turned around.

Stared at me.

Then—"Your pain medication."

…_Eh_?

"You haven't been taking it."

'_What the--? He's worrying about that _now_?' _I side glanced at my arm, before looking back at him, "But it doesn't hurt."

"Doesn't hurt my ass." He spat, opening the drink before walking over to the bar. He placed the can on the counter between us and sighed, "You _need_ to take them."

"No I—"

His eyes narrowed. _Daring_ me and—it was nice, actually. To have him _dare me_ after—_'He hasn't been home much all week.' _Since the weekend and that—_'I guess I should be glad because—' _

Because this was Kanda Yuu, even without all the crap that just happened. And he could be one hell of scary if you didn't—

I swallowed when his eyes narrowed even farther, "In my room—on my dresser." That's where the medicine was. I hadn't touched it in so long. And—well—my arm _did_ tingle a little bit. But I'd been through worse. A lot worse. This was nothing compared to—

I shook my head and reached for the pepsi as Kanda made his way around the bar, behind me, then to my room. He made some sort of disgusted sound when he entered—and I could hear him rummaging, moving all the papers and the books I had started to read—

Then he let out a curse.

"You okay, Yuu?" I called, and another curse greeted me. He came stumbling out a few seconds later, scowling, but with the medicine in hand, already twisting the top to dump out—how many was it? One pill? Two? He knew, so all _I _had to do was take it.

"What happened?" I repeated when he placed the tablet in my hand.

"You have too many books." He answered.

_Ah—_

"Did one fall on your foot?" He didn't answer, he just scowled even further, moving back around the bar to the other side. A distinct barrier between us, as he watched me. "I hope it wasn't the Dictionary—I _was_ tryin' ta look up a word—"

"You should have used your laptop." –_So it was the Dictionary…_

"But it's out here." I pointed to the coffee table where said laptop was currently asleep and closed, "I was working on something."

"No." He answered almost immediately, "You were _sleeping_." I blinked, he glanced away, "When I came in—you were sleeping."

_Oh_.

"Well yeah, I was—well, it was a _nap_."

"You jumped when I closed the door." _More like slammed_, "I think you were asleep. Now take your medicine."

'_Did I really jump that high?' _But I left it at that, "Pushy, pushy, Yuu! Y'don't wanna be this bossy when company comes over!"

"It's Tyki." He stated flatly, watching as I popped the pill in my mouth and—at least the Pepsi wasn't_ flat_ now—"You'll…he's—your—_you'll handle him_."

I nearly coughed back up what I had swallowed, "_Eh_?" I set the can down and watched Kanda watch the door, "Why? Can't you handle 'im yourself? I mean—it's a project. I don't wanna interrupt."

"You won't be." His fingers twitched, he immediately pulled them closer, "You'll be watching us anyway." He stated it like it was a _fact_—like he knew _for sure_ I would. I almost wanted to prove him wrong.

Almost.

'_Not that I'd leave Tyki alone with him.' _Ever. I wouldn't do that—ever—"Well I guess I could stick around?" It was a question, to see his reaction—and it was a positive one. His shoulders relaxed only slightly, "I mean—I already got my stuff done with, I'd probably get bored and come bug you."

"Tyki." He corrected under his breath, eyes never leaving the front door, fingers twitching again until he finally slipped them into his pockets.

"Right, Tyki, I can distract Tyki." Because I _could_.

And immediately his face soured, and his gaze firmly back on me, "Not like _that_." I laughed—it wasn't hard to tell where _his_ mind went—"You're working on a project, after all."

"So you _would_ if we _weren't_?" His eyes widened at his own words. He looked like he wanted to take them back, "I mean—you'd better not. With me in the room—or in the…_building_."

_'You didn't wake up when we messed around at his place.' _But then he had actual doors, and thick walls, "Aww, wouldn't dream of it, Yuu!" He didn't look like he believed me. "I practice abstinence sometimes too, y'know!"

He _really_ didn't believe that either. He just 'che'd' at me, which I guess—was better than nothing, right? All things considering—

Considering this was _Yuu_.

And he never liked to talk or explain. He never liked conversation and preferred silence—but, not the _awkward_ kind. Not the kind we were about to lapse into. Not the kind—_he _looked like he wanted to say something.

He even opened his mouth—like he wanted to _tell_ me something. And it was bothering him. A little, almost, but he didn't know where to start. He never knew where to start.

So I started for him. Taking a sip of Pepsi before putting on a smile, "You said you walked home, right?" He didn't nod his head, but he looked thankful, "How long'd that take? Were you paying attention?"

He opened his mouth again, then paused, looked un_certain_ then—"Not…too long. I—walked halfway."

"Really?" I shifted the can over the surface, watching the beads of condensation form on the side, "Where'd you get picked up…? _Who_ picked you up?" Because who _would_? Did he run into Cloud? Or Tiedoll? He _did _say he needed to talk to Tiedoll again. Or he probably should. It would be in his 'best interest'. Or something.

"Someone," he answered, slowly, "I—"

But he didn't get much farther than that.

Just then there was a loud round of knocking on the door—_'Tyki.' _It had to be Tyki—

"Hello? Anyone home?" He called out, muffled through the door. Immediately Yuu headed toward the door and let him in.

He greeted us with a smile, plain, and simple—all smiles, like normal, with a bookbag slung around his shoulder.

But he looked _tired_. So unbelievably tired. It made my stomach twist in painful knots because—he _never_ looked that tired. Ever. And—for every fiber in my being that wanted to _protect_ Yuu from this man who would—do _something_—

I was worried. _Goddammit_ I was _worried_.

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**And that's how it ends folks. Yes Lavi is worried about Tyki, and _yes_ it is indeed Tyki who will be working with Kanda on a school project. Wonder how that'll turn out? Also practically all the scene with Cross and Cloud screamed "BACKSTORY ALERT" in really high screechy tones. That might just be me, I dunno (feel free to say if you noticed it too). –laughs- I really need to go to bed.**

**No the dream Lavi has will **_**not**_** be explained in this fic. So if you have questions it'd do you good to ask them. I'll try my best to answer them (without giving too much away).Because it will be explained at some point. Just, again, not in this fic.  
**

**Now then, Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? (again be gentle on the CC please.) Send it via review! I'd love to hear from you!—**

**And now my bed is calling me, saying it's almost 3AM in the morning and you have to get up at 8AM to go grocery shopping—so much fun, and a package of Jolly Ranchers too—(don't ask. Just. Don't)**

**Oh and I had to upload this chapter. 3 times (1st-wrong document 2nd-Nothing..happened? -blinks-) so yeah. If there're any errors then TELL ME. -has not read this over thoroughly- and I'm dead tired...  
**

**-yawns and stumbles off to bed- **

**-Til the next chapter**

**Harmony283 **


	34. Comfort is the Last Thing

**Err…late update is late. Um…there's not much else I can say for it, except that this chapter was an absolute **_**bitch**_** to write. And I don't curse often. Rewrote it a grand total of 5 times, with each time it starting in a different place. Though by an odd twist of fate; the beginning I **_**did**_** have (for one version) that I considered quite gag-ish somehow made it into the final cut (so if the last part with Lavi's POV doesn't make sense; that's probably why. I went back and edited it in to make it fit better, but I probably didn't catch everything). Now onto an important note from our sponsors…**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: I'm in University now. What does that mean? 4 hours turns into 2, and math homework takes 5. So yeah; the only thing worse than no free time? Having **_**pseudo **_**free time. It's a scary thing. *looks around* So yeah; this means updates will be scarce until I can figure the heck out **_**how**_** to manage my time better. *so far she's only been able to write on the weekends* I also may take up volunteering at the Children's Hospital across the street from University, which will also cut into my writing (have to work 3 consecutive hours, at least one day a week) but I don't think anyone will mind that…? Oh and **_**Searching up stuff for Oscar Wilde is way harder than it looks. **_

**Err, and thank you to everyone who reviewed for the last chapter! *hugs* And I'm sorry for the freakishly long wait! XP **

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**Tyki's POV**

"But isn't he gay?" I looked up at the redhead who had just sat down at the other end of the table, looking over the scrawled notes Kanda had just made, eye bright with curiosity.

Kanda just continued to scowl, and scrawl another set of notes out on loose leaf paper. It almost made me wonder if the man did anything else _but_ scowl, and—wouldn't he look absolutely stunning if he smiled? But I knew that was too much to ask, especially now, and instead let out a chuckle.

"Bisexual is the better term, he _was_ married at one point." I answered, "But that's not the focus of the paper." Smiled at the redhead, who glanced at me, then over at Kanda, then back at the paper.

"Really? But didn't he get arrested for it at some point?" He cocked his head slightly to the side, in a way I was sure he didn't know was attractive, "You'll have to bring it up at some point, right?"

Kanda's jaw set even just a bit firmer, the lead of his pencil snapping.

"Well, I suppose so." I shrugged, "the paper focuses more on his _works_, and how he viewed society via what he wrote, though."

Lavi made a clucking sound, "Neh, really? What about that book, uh, _The Picture of Dorian Gray_? That had some pretty outlandish things in it for the time period, didn't it? And it's his only novel, so you'd have to bring it up, right?"

_Ah_, well, "Yes, I suppose you'd be right." Another piece of lead snapped from Kanda's pencil and he set his jaw in an even firmer line, "Though we were planning on focusing more on his plays." I shifted through the pages I had printed out before I had left.

_Lady Windermere's Fan,_

_A Woman of No Importance, _

_An Ideal Husband, _

and_ The Importance of Being Honest _

Lavi reached across the table to grab the first sheet, "Lady Windermere's Fan? I think I've seen this one once, with gramps," He paused, "Isn't that the one where the guys says, ah, what was it?" He cocked his head to the other side, like he couldn't just recall the memory in a blink of an eye, "life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about', or something?"

"That's it." I agreed, shifting through the other papers, before coming to one I had printed out of miscellaneous quotes, "I particularly like 'Illusion is the first of all pleasures'," again Lavi grabbed the sheet from my hand.

"This one's one of my favorite's too: 'Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth'." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kanda's hand twitching, but Lavi didn't seem to notice, or if he _did_ then he was doing this intentionally, just to get rise out of the other male.

_Interesting_,

And no. I didn't feel a pang of jealousy at that; there was nothing to be jealous _of_. No. Definitely not.

"Hey Yuu," Did he really _not_ notice the murderous intent—or at least high irritation—in the other's eyes? Obviously not as he scooted closer to the other teen, with the same piece of paper, "Which one do you like?"

Kanda glared at him.

Lavi didn't back off, just looked slightly startled. He recovered quickly, putting the grin back on, and asking again, "Well? Y'need some quotes for the paper, don't cha? Might as well choose a few you like, right?"

Kanda's scowl set firmer, but Lavi didn't relent. It was…almost…_interesting_ to watch. Not that I was interested. Or jealous. Of either of them. They were _close_, and it almost seemed—seemed like what? That some part of this was unfair? That Lavi's genuine worry shouldn't have been there?

I _had_ certainly interrupted them earlier, after all. It looked like it had been something important too. But they had dropped the topic quickly enough, Kanda setting up his laptop and paper—why we need to hand _write_ the rough draft, I didn't want to know, but Kanda wasn't going to argue—and Lavi rushing around like an anxious kid waiting for something to happen.

But I wasn't going to do anything. Or, well, I didn't plan to. _Wouldn't_ do. Especially not with the redhead here. Another pang set off somewhere near that one vital organ, as I watched Kanda give in and rip the paper away from Lavi's grip.

The redhead flailed his arms for a moment, and Kanda winced, and at first I thought I missed something, but in a split instant later—

Another pang as Lavi grabbed Kanda's hand and led one finger—one with a small paper cut on it, he apparently just received—into his mouth. And sucked on it, like he thought it was infected, or like he enjoyed the taste of blood.

That—_That_—

Was all it took, wasn't it? It was sad, wasn't it? My resolve was so thin.

"Are you alright?" My voice snapped them out of whatever trance they had been in. It wasn't a long one either, by any means, which made it nearly pathetic on my part because honestly—I didn't know this Kanda boy as well as I probably should have. I only knew The Earl wanted him for something.

And that I shouldn't have put that edge there; in my voice. Because Lavi knew what it meant, and that was enough to put him on guard, which was enough for _Kanda_ to notice and possibly pretend he didn't.

"Fine, fine," Lavi sputtered out, suddenly as anxious as he had been when I arrived, "jus' a nasty paper cut. I'll get a band-aid." He jumped up before any of us could move, and scampered into the kitchen.

"Che, it's not _that_ bad." Kanda remarked, eyeing his finger with a look of almost disgust, wiping it on his pant leg a moment later.

"You say that _but_ paper cuts can get infected easily without you knowing it!" He wasn't particularly watching what his hands were doing, and jumped when the band-aid box fell from somewhere, and landed with a loud _thud_ on the counter. It didn't stop his rambling though, "Y'know, people can lose their _fingers_ that way, it's nothin' to just brush off!" He fumbled with a box before pulling out a lime green band-aid

Kanda scowled, "It's. Fine."

"What? You want a pink one?"

If I hadn't felt so out of the loop, I would have _laughed_ at the appalled expression on Kanda's face, and the equally as clueless one on Lavi's. He was so cute when nervous, anxious; he always made the sweetest mistakes, or missed the most obvious things.

But I wasn't laughing; even if it was cute.

"I don't believe _pink _would do." I cut off whatever words Kanda had been going to say; they both tensed this time. "Besides, I don't know about you but unfortunately I wasn't lying when I said I might get a phone call later." I paused, glancing meaningfully at the both of them.

Kanda looked away

Lavi dropped the band-aid

I smiled

_Still not looking_

And a shiver

"Right, right," Lavi fumbled again, wincing slight at some unknown—oh who was I kidding? _Unknown_? It was his arm, and somewhere in the back of my mind something burst in a fit of too warm—too sadistic—too _dark_ nerves that I quickly had to press back with the _sorrow_ I felt. Pretended to feel, but actually did, which the others didn't—couldn't—know about.

I didn't love the boy; no.

But no one said I couldn't be _fond_ of him.

He somehow managed to get the box of band-aids back up to the top shelf without incident, before maneuvering back around the counter, to sit, at the end of the coffee table where he had been to begin with.

"Have you come up with an introduction, yet?" I asked, turning to face Kanda, who immediately shrugged, and slid the paper across the table. I glanced down immediately at what he had—barely legible handwriting, but it was a basic outline.

_Oscar Wilde, born in 1854, second son of Sir William Wilde and Jane Francesca Wilde_

_-Mother "Speranza" Poet for Irish Nationalists _

_Schooling Life_

_-Trinity College, Dublin (1871-1874) _

_-Magdalen College, Oxford (1874-1878)_

_Aestheticism/Politics_

_-Picture of Dorian Grey, etc_

_Marriage/Family_

_-Constance Lloyd (two sons: Cyril, Vyvyan) _

_-Grandchildren (Merlin Holland) Niece (Dolly Wilde)_

_Downfall—_

Well, wait…

"You're supposed to fit all _that_ in the first paragraph?" I jumped when I felt Lavi's breath ghost dangerously close to my ear—when did he get on the couch?—"How the hell're you going to manage that?"

"Condensing."

"Shyeah, condensing." He agreed, grabbing a pen from off the table before rudely marking and circling some things, "Focus on the basics I guess…this _is_ supposed ta be about his works, right?"

"Yes,"

"Well you're goin' more towards his personality." He glanced over at Kanda, who…was actually _listening_?

_What_?

"What?" He snapped, looking up, and I realized he had had another page underneath the one he handed me. It was half filled with the same scrawled handwriting. He followed my gaze easily enough and shrugged, "The second paragraph."

"Second?"

"It's the way he works." Lavi grinned, almost like he was _too proud_, "What? You think he'd become an English major without knowing what the hell he's getting himself into?" He let out a laugh, and Kanda simply bowed his head further. It was almost like he was _embarrassed_, but when he glanced up, there was no sort of embarrassment present on his face.

Instead he scowled, tapped his pencil, and continued scrawling.

And I couldn't help but feel it again; that pang in my chest that told me all too loudly I was _severely _out of the loop. That I shouldn't have even _bothered_ to begin with, no matter what the cost, I should have gone against what The Earl had said, and just _left _these two alone.

Or taken Lavi for myself.

"Really now?" it was a belated response and it made Lavi's breath catch in his throat, I could see the gears turning in his mind; the doubt, flashing for a split instance in his lone green eye, telling himself, _Maybe I shouldn't have said that._

And maybe he shouldn't have.

I put on a fake pondering expression, "Well, as long as you don't mind writing for it; I'll try to come up with the ideas for the first paragraph, and," I glanced at Lavi, "we need quotes to back up our statements."

"The second paragraph's on Dorian Gray." Kanda muttered, "Find something on that." He slid the page of quotes he still had, across the table at me. Immediately I picked it up and skimmed through it. My eyes caught on one halfway down the page, and I took the pen easily from Lavi's hands and circled it.

"How about this?" I cleared my throat and he looked up, "Humanity takes itself too seriously. It is the world's original sin. If the cave-man had known how to laugh, History would have been different.'"

Lavi's lips twitched into a grin from next me, "He really likes usin' that theme, doesn't he?" He leaned back against the cushions, lips spread into a wider grin.

"If you mean 'taking humanity serious' yeah he _does _use it a lot. There's that line in _Lady Windermere's Fan, _as well, and I'm sure there're others. You could use that?"

"If it works." Kanda shrugged his shoulders simply, and went back to scrawling. He got out roughly another sentence before he held his hand out, "Quote," he murmured, not even paying attention to his hand movements.

I gave him the paper easily enough, "I have it marked." He didn't seem to hear my words either, instead scrawling the line (or some short hand version of it) down before sliding the paper back.

"Guess we should look for other quotes then?" Lavi hummed from next to me.

"No." Kanda replied, "Not you; Tyki." His eyes glanced up at me, and though he still didn't seem altogether there—

Hmm…_interesting_.

"Ah, I suppose I _should_ do something, shouldn't I?"

Lavi immediately pouted, "Aww, _but_!"

"Don't you have homework _you_ need to be doing?" Kanda snapped.

"Just Anthropology," Lavi shrugged, "Reading's easy though; the teacher basically goes verbatim with the book so's not like if I don't read I'm missin' anything."

"You're getting annoying." I highly doubted Kanda had even paid attention to his explanation, he was back to scrawling, he had flipped the page over and was working on the back now.

"But you know you like it!" Lavi teased, though, seeming to catch himself, glanced at me, almost nervously, "Eh, but yeah I guess you're right. I've got that lab in Math too…jus' need to redo the homework so I'm not confusin' how to solve the damn problems."

"Then go ahead and do that."

"Can I bring my laptop in here?"

Kanda stopped writing, and actually _looked up_, eyes flashing dangerously but oddly…attractive?

"Do it in your room."

"But—"

Kanda's eyes narrowed, "The door is _open_."

"There aren't any doors."

Kanda cringed at the unintentional mistake, "I _know that_." He ground out in excuse, looking back down at the paper, "But—I need to _concentrate_."

"When's the paper due?"

"Two weeks from now." I blurted out the answer before Kanda could open his mouth again, "Ah, but, my work schedule conflicts with every meeting time we could possibly have." I paused again, looking over at Kanda who had now completely forgoed the pencil and was rubbing his forehead.

"So we _need_ to work on it now," He added on, through gritted teeth, "And you aren't helping."

"I—but—"

"You're waiting for a phone call, aren't you?" Kanda snapped, looking over at me. He was trying to find an excuse for the redhead to leave—and, well…

"Yes," Not that I wanted the redhead to leave, but…"I really don't have much time to waste."

Kanda barely nodded his head, "See? So either work in your room or—"

"Or what?" Lavi cut him off.

And really—I didn't know the boy well. I had only met him a few times—_seen _him a few more times than that—but it didn't take too much to know when someone was, to put it bluntly, _pissed off_.

Kanda was getting dangerously close.

And Lavi wasn't helping.

Which is why I visibly winced before the fact, when Kanda bared both hands flat on the table in front of him, making it shake a little more than just unnerving, "_Leave_."

"Leave?" Lavi blinked, flabbergasted, "Why?" He paused, "I mean what—now? How come—"

"You're _annoying _me."

Lavi tensed, "I won't if I'm just typing on my laptop. Like ya said; there aren't any doors here so you'd still hear me if I was in _my _room. Would it matter if I was out here?" Did he not _see_ the figurative daggers being shot at him? Apparently not; or at least this was a stubborn streak I had yet to see.

"Yes. It would." The response was clipped and cold, and he drew his hands back, easily picking up the pencil again, and tapping it.

"Then I'll stay in my room." _Oh_, well, he was starting to see it now, smiling nervously and holding his hands up, like he needed a barrier between them.

"You'll just come out and bother us in ten minutes." Lavi opened his mouth to retort, but Kanda simply pointed his pencil at him. It was enough to shut the younger teen up, "No. Leave. Now."

"But—" I couldn't ignore the wary glance Lavi shot at me; he wouldn't trust me around Kanda; that much was too painstakingly obvious.

"No buts."

"_But_."

"Leave." The possible death threat packed in those words was more than enough to send Lavi scampering over the back of the couch, in exaggerated fear. It was nearly impressive, too, and just made the boy in front of me that much more attractive.

'_We only need him for the Earl.' _I reminded myself, forcing my lips back into a neutral expression. Unfortunately for me; Lavi had already seen them. He shot me a glare before masking his face in a pout.

We were both so good at this, weren't we?

"Fine, I'll leave! I'll leave! Jeez, Yuu," he held his hands up in mock surrender, moving back towards the kitchen to grab his keys off the counter, along with his wallet and cell phone. Slipping the devices into his jean pocket, he opened the front door—but before he stepped out; he glanced back at us. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "Neh, well, as long as I'm out, want me to get you something?"

Kanda didn't respond, just glared.

And I? He took his time looking at me; like he was _daring_ me to—to what? Do something grossly inappropriate? Of _course not_. I could control myself. The Earl didn't say he wanted the boy _now_. Just that I had to watch him. And get him. When he said to.

So I smiled, apologetically, casting on a thoughtful expression, "Well…I suppose I'm in the mood for something sweet. If you don't mind picking something up?"

"I know a small bakery that specializes in cakes." He easily replied back, "Anything there good?"

I nodded my head, "It might help, considering I don't know how long I'll be here."

"Kan-da?" Lavi dared to get the others response.

"Che,"

He didn't get much of anything. And it bothered him; I could tell it did. The red head was so easy to read, and probably when he didn't _want_ to be read. It only lasted a split second before he slipped, nearly silently, out the door; raising his hand in a brief goodbye, before the door slammed shut.

Leaving me, here, sitting across from Kanda. Alone.

Or, well, it might as well just be Kanda. He didn't seem to realize I was even _here_, from the way he tucked his hair behind his ear, and began gnawing on the end of his pencil in a way most people didn't want to be caught doing.

Then he scowled, and I jolted.

He slid what he had across the table, "How's this look?" He was on the second page now—he still had it on his side, just now giving me the first—"Can you make a first paragraph connect with this one?"

I scanned over it, "I'm sure I could," I didn't even attempt to read some portions, with the way the words seemed to run together in some form of messy cursive, "a thesis statement can't be _that_ hard."

Kanda just stared at me, before shrugging his shoulders in a slow motion. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't; instead turning those eyes back to the paper in front of him, and beginning, once more, to scrawl down ideas.

And once more; his hair—long as it was, and even tied back in a ponytail, as it was—fell over his shoulder, on to the page, and again he brushed it aside with long, graceful, beautiful hands.

Honesty speaking; maybe I _was_ a little jealous. Only a tad. I wasn't used to competing after all, and in the rare case I had to, the other contender never put up much of a fight. It had always been an easy victory.

Maybe I was a little curious, too. _Why_ did this man—why did _Kanda_ have to strike Lavi's fancy? Why was Lavi even allowed to fall in love in the first place? _Why_? _Whywhywhywhy? _

I let out a sigh; Kanda looked up—eyes meeting mine, annoyance, everything—

If it weren't for _this_ boy—this boy, and their _connection_—it would have been so much easier.

I felt my lips twitch up as Kanda's twitched down.

Their connection was annoying, but useful, and the argument I had tried to make before—to Sheryl, and Road, just so I could _keep_ the boy—I knew it wouldn't work. It was just a fancily made up lie.

And Kanda noticed, but ignored, turning his eyes back down to the page in front of him, but his words came slower, carefully, as if he was watching every one of my movements, without exactly _watching_.

So when I stood; he went rigid, when I moved around to his side of the table, and asked, maybe a little too sweetly, "You're already working on the third paragraph?" it was absolutely expected that he would shift away.

"still the second."

"Really?" He nodded his head, "Ah, I see. This is really easy for you, isn't it?" He blinked at me like I had said something stupid.

"I'm not going to write all of it." He said after a moment of me not moving; eyeing me, as if he thought I would pounce. Did Lavi pounce on him?

_Why did I think that? _

I shoved the thought away, "Okay, good."

"You have to write your part." He motioned to the other side of the table.

"Ah, right, of course." I let out a low chuckle and maneuvered my way back over, lips still in a smile, "I'll have to hurry then," I pulled out my cell phone and checked the time, "my manager is bad at calling too early."

He didn't respond to that; simply went back and scrawled, even more slowly, words that would make perfect sense. I had to wonder how he got through life so far, being as untrusting as he was.

But it didn't really matter.

I slid my paper back over to his side, "But how to start," he jolted when I maneuvered back to him, shoulders stiff, and erect, "that's always the hardest part." I hummed, sitting down next to him and tapping my pencil against the table.

"Che, of course it is." He ground out, trying to move away from me.

But I couldn't have that.

I placed my hand easily against his leg—he outright jolted this time, sending me a glare, which I simply answered with a smile.

And didn't move my hand.

_It's just to see. _After all, _How the boy reacts_. It would be fun; not entirely innocent, but I wouldn't go too far.

I hoped.

**Cross's POV**

"You're a fucking idiot." I felt my lips twist into a grin, as Winters held out an ice pack, "I don't give a fuck what you _said_ to her; but letting a woman beat you up? You have no pride, do you?"

"Lost it a long time ago, Sokaro," I tasted blood in my mouth from the split lip Cloud had given me, no less than six minutes ago, and I could still hear her screaming bloody murder at Tiedoll.

But now? _Now_?

The truth really does suck.

"Don't move that." Winters ordered, "I don't want that Matron bitch coming in here hounding at me cuz you were stupid enough _not_ to listen to common sense and your nose gets permanently damaged for it."

"Didn't know you cared." I laughed out, placing the icepack back on my nose.

"I don't. But I don't need to hear Tiedoll _or_ Cloud _or_ any other damn person who's in a ten mile radius of this place _ask_ what the fuck happened." He ran a hand through his recently jelled spike…uneven spikes…_law defying_—

What the fuck was I carrying on about?

"Trying out a new hairstyle?" I asked offhandedly, watching as he began to re-wax the old military boots he always wore.

He simply scowled, "What's it to you?"

"Just making conversation Soka."

"ro." He immediately added on, "_No_ nicknames. Mari."

It was my turn to wince, and try to smile despite the pain it caused my poor abused—and most likely broken—nose, "Right. Sokaro, Sokaro, I'm _Cross_. No first name usage."

"Like you give a damn about that anyway," he went back to waxing his boots, paying inordinately close attention to the way each spot started to shine from enough waxing.

The freak.

I exhaled, wincing again at the pain in my face.

Really.

Cloud? Yeah, she hits hard. Too hard.

I sighed again, turning my head to face the clock that ticked aimlessly on the wall, off to the side of the door. The glass that surrounded the face had been cracked from all the times the door had been slammed out it; and I had half the mind to wonder why he didn't just move it, but then, it wasn't like him to accept change. No. Not at all. Why the hell was I worrying about _that _anyway?

_To stop thinking about other things. _It was the closest answer I could come up with. _Come up_, not _Come to terms _and that bothered me a little more than I wanted it to.

This had gotten so out of hand. Not just the conversation either; _Not that I expected her to take it well. _But—_to hit me? _To not let me _explain _things fully?

"You really don't know what to say to her; do you?" I blinked, shocked, turning back to look at Winters, who had stopped shining his boots, eyes focused on the leather, and not on me.

"What?" I immediately reprimanded myself for sounding so dumb, "I mean—"

"Woman are too sensitive?" He cut me off, "She's one of the least sensitive women we _know_," I noticed he had shredded the rag he had used—when had he done that?

"Oh? So you're _going_ to reprimand me for saying something to her?" It would be amusing to see if he tried, considering _his_ luck with women. I shifted the icepack to my other hand, flexing my numb fingers.

"Fuck no, that's Tiedoll's job." He ground out, "The fucking softy." He added a second later shaking his head from side to side.

"Nothing poetic then?" I was humoring him, it was entertaining, and maybe made me not think because if I thought too hard—they were right. I knew they were all right. Always, _always_ right because I really _had_ screwed up with Allen.

I could still see her sputtering face; the mask of surprise, shock, horrifying realization, _'You…what?' _and only two words before the onslaught.

I hadn't even said much.

"I'm no idiot," I raised my eyebrow unintentionally at that, and he scowled, "It had to do with Allen didn't it? That brat of a boy that's in your charge?" I didn't know what expression I made but he seemed to get it, "Didn't she help _raise_ that brat?"

"Not really." I shifted hands again, "Mana took the kid around a lot—back to Britain for a few years, an' all."

Winters gave the barest nod of his head, "Still, what'd ya do to the boy? Fuck him?" I cringed; he _laughed_.

And I wanted to say no. _No; it wasn't like that_ it was something entirely _different_ and I wasn't in my right _mind_, and it shouldn't have happened in the _first place_; but it happened twice and I knew it happened twice.

"You…didn't…did you?" His voice dropped two octaves, a barest whisper; face oddly…not worried, but as close as he'd ever get to the emotion.

"I hurt him, if that counts?" I managed out, because that was all I had been able to say to Cloud.

"So you did." His jaw set firm, and for a moment he didn't say anything more; looking down at his boots before—rather violently—chucking one halfway across the room, "And they call _me_ fucked up." He glanced back at me, but there wasn't any anger in his eyes, just in his voice.

I _really_ didn't want to go through a second beating.

"You're going to apologize to the damn kid, right?" He was standing though, but still no anger. I managed to nod my head, "Really? You'll really up and do that?"

"When he lets me." I paused, glancing over at the still closed door, "When _she _lets me."

Then Sokaro laughed a low, and for once _not_ the crazy maniacal laugh he was known for, "I come back to town, and shit blows up. It's great, I tell ya! Grand beyond any fucking words I could use!" He moved over to the door and yanked it open, "I'll pop my head in and see about Cloud. Meanwhile; you stay here. Don't want her goin' and chopping your balls off."

I visibly winced at that, wincing again at the pain in my nose—it probably _was_ broken—"She really would do that, wouldn't she?"

"Wouldn't put it past her." He sniggered again, hand nearly crushing the doorknob, "And y'know? I'm the one who's supposed to chop stuff off." He grinned, eerily, glancing over at the mask he usually donned for his…_part time job_, "And y'know what?"

"What?" I switched the ice pack again.

"They couldn't pay me enough to kill you."

Then he slammed the door; leaving me alone in his room, with all sorts of things that could be used for mass torture.

_Yes_, everything was pure, and utterly _screwed up_. And it was _all my fucking fault_. Or not.

I could keep pretending; after all. It was easy enough to do.

**Lavi's POV **

I wasn't being serious. Or at least, I wasn't _trying _to be. Really; I could have said it all started with the Author Choice, because really, it really didn't surprise me that Tyki would choose _that_ kind of Author—playwright—whatever-he-was for their project, and for the fact that—hadn't something just _similar_ happened? Of course Kanda would be on edge.

But really. He _had_ taken me seriously.

Had I really been bugging them that much?

Apparently so. And here is where it led to: me, exiled from my own _house_—kicked out, more like it, leaving Yuu alone with the guy who started it all, which worried me on more than one level but—

Here. Just. Here. Here I was—in front of a cake store, or, not exactly, it was a few stores down, but I knew that was my destination. It had the best cakes, and even though Yuu wouldn't like it—Tyki would. Maybe that was the point, because it wasn't a peace offering.

And I was the current errand boy.

But I knew Yuu wouldn't take it, _'He'd just shove it in my face and throw me out again.' _Which hadn't been fun, and left me in a bad mood, because really? I hadn't meant to be any end of irritating. I was just—_worried_, and Tyki knew I was worried, but Kanda _didn't_ because he was dense—and for all the life of me, even if it made him _'cute'_ in some aspects; well, not cute, maybe _appealing, _especially when he _realized_ he had been dense, which then he would deny, and look absolutely adorable while doing; in that crazily attractive—

I cut the thought off, as a few kids scampered through the door of my destination, frosting coating their mouths.

Frosting that coated cakes

_Frosting_ that coated cakes that Tyki had asked for

Tyki with frosting on him (which could happen; not that he'd ever been a messy eater)

Frosting on me (because I _was_ a messy eater)

Frosting on Yuu (me forcing cake at him) that needed to be licked off—

I derailed the train of thought again, halting my steps as the kids ran past me, giggling and laughing saying things so childish like "that was good!" "what should we do next?" "You got icing on your cheek!"

Cute kid things. It was innocent.

I exhaled and continued on, my feet carrying me until I was at the glass door, with the small bell hanging off the edge. I could see inside at the checkerboard flooring—almost like the Cross Diner, which was 'under remodeling' as a news article had said, which made me wonder exactly _who_ had hushed up _whoever_ so quick—but that didn't matter. I wouldn't think about Cross, or Allen (though the kid _was_ sweet in his own right), or Tyki being alone with Yuu.

I would only think about sweet things, like those kids, and Yuu when he was sleeping, and joking around, but even _that_ wasn't innocent. As innocent as it should be.

I pushed against the door and stepped in, the smell of flour, and sugar, and vanilla wafting around the room, coating the air and making my stomach rumble ever so slightly. It was almost dinner time; I would have to get back soon.

I'd just have dessert with me.

'_Yuu'd have to eat it, if I got it for dessert.' _I smiled at the thought, taking a few more steps in. No one was behind the counter, but I could see a shadow pass by the backdoor, where the kitchens were, followed by the swish of a tightly pulled golden strand ponytail. A moment later, and the silhouette moved across the wall again, before the actual owner appeared in the doorway.

Wearing an—_unbelievably non-frilly_—apron, was Link. _Howard_ _Link_.

I almost felt my draw drop, as his eyes equally narrowed.

'_Link works at a cake shop?' _I felt my lips twitch as I raised my hand in mock salute. This was too good to be true. Really, "How-ya doin', Link?" I asked.

The blonde scowled, but answered, "As well as I can be." The scowl, for whatever reason, didn't seem to be aimed at me. From the way his eyes continued to narrow, as if he was expecting something to happen—like he _wanted_ something to happen, more likely—more than cued me in.

"Which is?" I asked, moving forward until I was leaning on the counter, next to the cash register.

The man's lips thinned to a line, as he opened the drawer, checking the amount of cash there. It wouldn't have surprised me if they were just about to close, "Well enough." He answered again, "We're almost closing. What do you want?"

My lips were now in a full blown smile. I knew he wasn't trying to be mean, but whatever was putting him on _edge_—it was hilarious. Almost. _Howard Link_, being fazed by something, _anything_. _Howard Link_—his name was just damn fun to say.

His buttons almost as fun to push as Yuu's, but not quite. Not on that level anyway, never on that level. But amusing regardless. "Mm, actually I'm not sure." I shifted to prop myself up with my elbows, tapping my chin in an over exaggerated way, "Do you have any recommendations?"

His lips pressed even tighter against each other, and he slowly closed the money drawer, "What's the occasion?" Because Howard Link was the one to be serious, no _matter_ what. Even when it meant selling cakes. In an apron that wasn't so frilly, but _still_.

"Just dinner. Or rather, it's for _dessert_." I put emphasis on the word, just to see the man react. I knew he wouldn't, not that much. Maybe an eyebrow twitch. Or a huff, or a raised eyebrow even, if I made something too obvious.

"Dessert?" I didn't expect his face to turn surprised, or to redden, just a bit, around his high cheek bones. It looked wrong on him. Not cute. Not, _not, _cute, like Yuu. But Yuu was more sexy than cute.

And Tyki never blushed either, just when we were—

I cut that thought off.

"Yup," I hastily agreed, he seemed too distracted to notice my pause, "gotta have something good after dinner, I have a visitor over."

"Do I want to know?" He wasn't looking directly at me; he had opened the cash drawer again.

"It's not dirty." His eyes drove up to meet mine, "I'm serious. My roommate's got company over, I happen t'know the guy. They're working on a project."

"and you got sent out as the errand boy?" He said it in the most degrading way possible. I was almost offended.

Well, okay, not so much offended as—jealous.

"It's cuz of a joke I made." I shrugged my shoulders easily, "But tha's not important. I need a cake, or cupcakes, or somethin' good."

His lips set in another firm line as he turned away from me, "One moment then, I'll see what we have in the back of—" He never finished his sentence. But his pace quickened just a bit and—

I didn't think _yelling_ had anything to do with checking on cakes.

"You _idiot_!" I slowly maneuvered my way around the counter, and peered inside the kitchen. There, sitting on a chair off in one corner, was a guy I'd never seen before. Spiky hair dyed a weird…greenish color…and—and—

He was just blinking at Link. Link, who was yelling at him like he committed the worst crime on the face of the earth.

'_The…hell?' _But then I noticed the crumbs around the other's mouth, and an empty mold, which had the same crumbs sticking to _it_, _'Don't tell me he ate an entire…cake?' _

I didn't need that answered. Seeing it was enough.

"That cake had to set _overnight_; you know!" Link continued to harp, and I would've started laughing if it wouldn't have caught their attention.

True I knew Link; the uptight guy that he is an' all. Never got the feeling he _liked _me—for all pretenses of the world; I didn't really give a damn either. But _this_? This was amusing. Ex-Secretary turned Cake baker—

Bitching about some guy eating a whole cake. It almost reminded me of Allen.

Except instead of apologizing the man simply _stared_ in an…odd way that wasn't really comforting. Link seemed used to it though; and continued to rant and rave—something about _remaking _the cake, and having to stay overtime and—"Why are you even _here_ in the first place?!"—but then he seemed to catch himself at the last part, shoulders stiffening in some sort of cold realization.

Then he exhaled, and I knew slipping out right about now would be an excellent idea, so I did just that, making my way back around the counter, to look at the display of sweets he had set up in the glass show cases.

A few moments later; of hushed words I chose to ignore despite the fact I probably would be able to hear them had I tried hard enough, and Link came walking out, with a cake in hand. His eyes caught mine and immediately he scowled.

"Sorry for the wait." He apologized anyway, "sliding the cake over the counter, "There was…a bit of a mishap." He didn't seem willing to explain, and honestly, I wasn't about to force him.

After all—why _would_ I be curious about the mysterious man hiding out in his backroom? That wasn't something someone would be _curious_ about, now would it?

And besides, I already had my own worries. So I put on a smile I was all too easily familiar with, and said, "its fine, its fine. It happens to everyone; even on a good day." I pulled out my wallet and paid the correct amount—Gramps always made sure I had an adequate amount of money on me at all times, I could afford to splurge a bit—and then turned on my heels and headed out the door.

Back the way I had come.

Back to my apartment. Or, well, _Yuu's_ apartment. And I almost wished I had a free hand, because if I had one, I'd get my cell phone out and call them. Tell them I'm on my way.

Because it wasn't that I didn't trust Yuu—if Tyki did anything, Yuu'd fight back. I wouldn't put it past him.

But really.

_Really_

I was worried.

Because it wasn't just Tyki and I knew it. In an instant he could have _anyone _there; and I knew it.

That's what made me nervous.

"Lavi?" That and voices of people who sounded too familiar following me without me knowing.

I whipped my head around in time to see the smiling face of Lenalee. She was sitting at one of the tables…like she had been _waiting _for me.

"Lenalee…?" I tried not to sound too surprised, but she could tell, "What're you doing here?"

"I saw you walk in. So I waited." She was still smiling, looking a bit worried, "What's the cake for?"

"Oh, Yuu's got company over." It was a true enough fact; I shifted the cake to one arm.

"Really?" And of course she looked surprised.

"It's a school project."

"Oh." She blinked, "You still have that?"

"Yup." I nodded my head, "It's for his English class. An', well," I looked down at the cake, fishing with my now free hand for my cell phone, "I'm the errand boy. Gotta call 'em now to tell 'em I have the cake."

"But Kanda doesn't like cake."

"He likes lemon icing." Maybe it was a bit odd that I knew something that specific—much less the fact I had to test said something by cramming many pieces of birthday cake into his mouth over the years; before he finally ate one without protesting—"But really; Tyki's the one who'll eat it."

"Tyki?" I didn't want to recognize the familiar look on her face; but I did.

"yup, he's his partner."

"Really?" she sounded unsure, before noticing my hand in my pocket, "Oh, I'll hold that." She reached out to grab the cake, which I willingly handed to her.

Now with two free hands, I searched for the home phone—_no_—_Tyki's_ phone—in my contacts list. Lenalee tried looking over my shoulder but I turned away just in time. I held the phone up to my ear, waiting for the familiar ringing tone—

Waiting for Tyki to pick up.

But—

_Shit_

He didn't.

It was a 'busy' signal.

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**And there you have it. The Cliffhanger-Normal ending-Cliffhanger **_**sandwich**_**…thing…*pokes it* can't think of much else to say except…don't kill me? Again, I rewrote this chapter so many times *some of those times weren't my fault; those who've talked to me via email should know the reason* that…the Tyki-stays-with-Kanda-alone got worked in; and the phone call interruption gets bumped to the next chapter *also wondering how the rating'll go for the next chapter* hopefully it won't go up…*crosses fingers* **

**AND AGAIN extremely sorry for the nearly two month late update! And if, by any chance, you **_**didn't**_** read the last chapter; PLEASE go read it! (I'm seriously starting to think FF has issues alerting people *half the reason she didn't update for about a month is **_**because**_** she only had, like, 3 reviews, as opposed to the 11 that the previous chapter had gotten* are people really just insanely busy…? O.o if so I'll stop worrying about it…but…*hates updating too 'early'* What's a good updating…period of time? A week? Two weeks? I might make a poll on that…) **

**As always, Questions, comments, loved it, have CC? SEND IT VIA REVIEW! I'd love to hear from you! **

***now off to redo math homework* **


	35. Lemon Icing

**Annnd…I specifically told myself to get started on this chapter so it wouldn't be late. Well. So much for that coming true *bows head* I'm sorry for the wait (again), though if you know me on any other site, you'll probably know many of the reasons why. I'll give a main one (that happened recently) here: my laptop's screen pretty much died. Not the harddrive (thankfully), but regardless it's in the shop for two weeks. Taking all the requests I still need to do with it. I was scared to death that this fic was included in that, but thankfully I still had it saved to my jumpdrive (for those curious, I'm 'borrowing' my sis's old laptop, which…has even worse internet connection then **_**dad's**_** computer…and doesn't have internet access at all at school, thus I'm here at the library updating) **

_**Anyway**_**, I actually did start on this chapter early (got 5 pages typed up the day after I uploaded the previous chapter) but then I just kept running out of time *cough*. BUT ANYWAY...This chapter includes the following: Lenalee coming over for dinner, an attempted molestation case that falls drastically short, and Polar wishing he'd stop slipping up.**

**Note: to lessen confusion, remember how Kanda was going to tell Lavi something before Tyki came over? (might have to go back and re-read the last two chapters to find it) WELL—it turns out he ran into Polar on his way home and Polar started talking to him. *just so you know what Polar's POV is talking about***

**Also because I have very little time to do so, this chapter is NOT BETA'D! So if you see any mistakes, point them out and I will change them! Also, if I did not answer your review for the last chapter: TELL ME. I currently am backlogged on my email account, and thus can't remember if I have or haven't! I will try my best not to let that happen again! *bows head* **

**And of course, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I really do appreciate it! (Also for everyone who's reviewed for all the requests I've uploaded! *that makes her doubly happy*) **

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**Lenalee's POV**

When I had seen Lavi walk into the bakery shop, I thought I could talk to him. I thought that maybe he would understand what happened with Allen, and why Cloud was upset, and what this had to do with Cross, and all the worried expressions.

Things Komui wouldn't tell me.

So I had waited outside of the cake shop; but he hadn't even noticed me. I had to call to him, and honestly—I wanted to pretend he'd talk with me. He was supposed to, before, but I should have known better.

He was busy. They were all busy. And it hurt. It hurt like it had when I forced them out and they _left_. Was it so bad to be worried? Because I was. Even now.

"What's wrong?" I asked, watching as he slipped his phone back into his pocket; face pensive, and just a bit whiter than it had been before.

And for a moment he was silent, contemplating something—eyes focusing on something far away that I couldn't see. It was like he didn't even realize I was _here_.

So I shifted the cake to one arm as he had done, and touched his arm with my now free hand, "Lavi?" He jolted again, like it hurt to touch, then gave a smile that was so much weaker than his usual ones that, "Did they not pick up?" I was giving him a 'go to' excuse. I had to stop doing that.

"Ah, yeah," he agreed—he _agreed_—"they're busy, I guess." He let out a laugh, "Ah, well, I guess I don't really hafta call 'em since I'm actually goin' there now." But he didn't sound too convinced, though, as he held his hands back out to carry the cake.

"Oh! I don't mind." I pulled the box closer, smiling, "I haven't talked to Kanda in a while either; he doesn't really answer his cell phone."

"Tha's true." I could tell he was forcing the chuckle he gave me. The smile looked pensive at best, "But, uh, what're you doing out here anyway? Isn't it getting close to dinner time?"

"I already ate."

"What about Komui?"

I looked down at the box in my arms, smiling, it seemed like he was generally worried—after all, brother was _known_ for his high tendency to freak out—but he was trying to make conversation; trying to switch the subject. I sighed, "Oh, he'll be fine. He has company over anyway."

Company we actually knew, but in _that_ context…I shivered. It was the reason I left to begin with. Or…the reason he coerced me to leave, because I was worried about that too.

"What kind of company?" And Lavi, being as intuitive as he was, caught on, eye flashing curiously and with worry.

I shook my head, "No one too bad. Just…Cloud, Cross, and Winters." I swallowed hard at the last name and he let out a low whistle.

"That guy's back?"

"From his part time job?" I asked, just for clarification, though I knew that's what he meant. It _had_ to be what he meant.

"If you can call it that." His lips twitched upward in an unfriendly smile, footsteps slowing until he was walking next to me, "Why'd he send you out, then? I mean, you're good friends with Cloud aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am." I agreed, "But…she was angry."

"Angry? About what?" he slowed even further, and I realized I had fallen behind again.

"I don't know." He didn't look like he believed me, "She was shouting at Cross, though, and he…it looked like she broke his nose." Lavi's eye widened just a bit, "See? It has to be something serious, right?"

He looked like he wanted to say something—he even opened his mouth to—but he quickly snapped it shut and shook his head, "Yeah." His short agreement was unsettling, like he knew what it was, but wasn't saying, "I mean, not her getting pissed off at Cross; that happens a lot, doesn't it?"

He was trying to switch the subject again.

"I guess," it was a feeble answer, and Lavi seemed to notice, but didn't reprimand me for. He just stayed silent, and sped up again, until he was directly in front of him. I saw his hand twitch into his pocket, like he wanted to call them again and—it was unnerving.

"They've known each other for a while now." I said, after a while of silence. We had gotten to the third crosswalk, and I had to wonder if he had _walked_ all the way here. It wasn't that far, but with how late it was…

"They have, haven't they?" He tried to smile again, "For how long, was it?"

"I'm not sure." I looked back down at the cake box, at the pale yellow icing, "All I know is whenever they talk about _back then_ they get annoyed about something." I paused. Lavi almost grimaced; hand in his pocket. Again.

"She was…screaming something at Cross." I felt his hand on my back, pushing me across the street, "When she came in, today, and Cross looked…surprised; I think." Or like he deserved her hitting him, but _didn't_. Like he, at the very least, had been surprised.

"I bet she was." He murmured in agreement as we passed by a group of…_shady_ looking individuals with what almost looked like _capes_ hiding their…very round…figures. Lavi's arm nearly wrapped around my waist, and, until we crossed the street again—roughly three blocks away—it stayed there, protective.

"Doesn't she always yell at him?" He asked once we were deemed far enough away—or _safe enough_—in his standards, "I mean, it's a love-hate relationship, right?"

I let out a soft giggle at that, "Yes, I guess it is." I tried to smile, but it didn't work as well as even some of his 'fake' smiles, "But she was…_very_ angry at him. I—I couldn't even tell what she was saying before Komui pushed me out the door and asked Reever to drop me off in town."

Lavi looked startled, "_Eh_? He actually _asked_ Reever to drop you off—here? In the middle of the damn city?" I nodded my head, "That's stupid. What would 'e've done if something bad happened to you?" His arm didn't drop from my waist; instead, he squeezed it almost protectively.

"I was actually at the mall." Surprising as it was, for there to be a decent mall in the center of the city, "But I got bored so I took the bus and decided to look at some of the smaller shops. That's when I saw you."

He still looked unsettled but gave up after a moment of thinking, dropping his arm from around my waist and instead bringing it up to mess with his headband. After he shifted it enough; he jerked it down around his neck, and sighed, "Eh, I still don't approve, but it's good ya ran into me." He paused, "Or that ya saw me." Another pause, "But I think it might be a good idea for you to go back to Komui's place."

"But I want to see Kanda."

"I know." His reply was too fast, "An' normally I'd say find, then Kanda would drive you back. But he doesn't exactly have his car back—he should be getting it soon, though, they said it'd be ready by Saturday—so that's a bit of an issue."

"Then I can spend the night." That all but nearly froze Lavi up, "Then Komui can come pick me up in the morning and take me to school; it's not that you guys live far away from it, or anything."

"Yeah but," I wanted to laugh at the horrified expression on his face—it was so overly exaggerated I knew he wasn't serious, "what'll Komui say? You spending the night at a guys place?" he didn't give me time to answer, before answering himself, "He'll _freak! _That's what! An' I really don't want 'im coming after me."

"But you're my friends." I couldn't believe I was pointing this out, "I've known Kanda practically my entire life, and I've known _you_ for just as long. Komui knows both of you, and, even though he doesn't say it, he trusts you enough to know you won't _do _anything."

I really _did_ giggle then, when Lavi's cheeks turned a pale shade of pink, "Do things?!" He looked horrified, "What the—"

"Yes, things," I cut him off, smiling a bit, "which you won't do, obviously. So let's go." I looked back down at the cake and the icing; it looked fine, but, what was one little lie? "The icing might melt."

This time it was my turn to walk in front, and for a while, at least, I could pretend nothing bad had happened; that I was just coming to visit like I had been meaning to for a while now—really, hearing about them being _roommates_ was just a bit of a shock on more than one level—and not because I was secretly very, very worried.

"Oi, wait! Wait!" Lavi stumbled to catch up with me, "Even if you did stay over the night, Yuu's workin' on a project! Like I said, I got kicked out for bein' annoying, and even _you _wouldn't be completely safe!" He managed to catch up with me as we crossed the street again, and grabbed my arm.

We were almost there—I could see their apartment complex up ahead.

Something about the way he grabbed my arm…was _interesting_…

"Then you can go in and check if they're done? I can wait out in the hall." Somehow it felt strange saying that, but like Lavi needed it.

I was worried now. Again; and I didn't want to be. But he looked relieved at those words and nodded, straightening himself up a bit before giving out a laugh, "ah, yeah, I really don't want him chucking a pencil at your head. The cake'll be a peace offering." Before I even realized it, he had the cake in his hands again, and was speed walking in front of me.

"Lavi—" I started, but he just smiled back at me, and…what would I have said, anyway? It wasn't like I could tell him I knew he was acting strange; he would deny it, and even if he didn't, it wasn't like he would tell me.

He hadn't been telling me anything.

He had always been the one to _listen_.

And maybe I regretted that a bit now, with everything that happened. Maybe I shouldn't have shouted at them before, because Kanda really _had_ been acting strange, and Lavi had been worried about him, and _of course_ Kanda wouldn't say anything about it.

He hated it when people moped. He hated it even more when they complained about something that couldn't change. He wasn't sympathetic when something bad happened—in his view; _get over it_ was more than just a saying.

…_Why_ was I coming over again? My footsteps slowed; Lavi was farther ahead now, humming a tune I couldn't recognize. He was nearly at the entry way to their apartment complex before he turned back to me, "You okay?"

But I couldn't say anything. Wasn't I supposed to be the one asking him _that_?

"I'm fine." I said instead, smiling, and catching up, he waited for me, too, smiling in that way that felt so entirely normal that I couldn't help but relax. When we entered the lobby too, one I hadn't been in for a while, I couldn't help but relax further at the mock breath he took—and the way his stomach clenched in.

"Aww, jeez, here it goes." He mumbled, for the both of us as we entered the elevator, and he pressed the right number, "Wanna guess how angry he'll be?"

"I'm sure he won't be _that_ bad."

"You've never seen 'im when he gets his writin' streak goin'." He shook his head, staring up at the ceiling, then down at the box, "It's sexy as hell, but deadly."

I couldn't help but giggle at that, and at the grin on his face, even though I knew, if I looked just a little harder—there was something infinitely _bitter_ about it. But seeing it just made me worry and I knew I wouldn't be able to hide it from him, so I giggled anyway, and watched the numbers—2, 3, 4—until we reached the correct floor.

Lavi nearly leapt out of the elevator, and I would have told him to be careful not to trip—after all he had the 'peace offering' in his hands, and his balance was already off because of his—but no.

I didn't have to worry about that. Not when, too suddenly, as a man with dark slightly curled hair, and liquid amber eyes walked past—he went ramrod straight.

"Tyki?" It sounded like he choked on the name, "Ah—I tried callin' you, where're you—"

_So that's Tyki._

I swallowed thickly as the man paused to stare down at Lavi. If I hadn't—if Komui hadn't told me…something…about the man, then I would have thought he looked guilty, "Ah, Lavi," the way he said his name, too, "Terribly sorry, I saw you tried to call. But unfortunately that was my boss."

Lavi blinked, dumbly for a moment, and I had to wonder if he knew what 'boss' meant. It almost seemed like he did when recognition flashed in his lone green eye, "Neh, really? What about Kanda?"

_Kanda_? Wait…_he called him Kanda? _Since _when_? Or was it because of Tyki?

"I'm sure he has enough information. If not, I'm sure you've read enough Oscar Wilde to help him?"

The nod was almost automatic, "Though he was in the bathroom when I left so."

_So_…

Lavi didn't let him finish. Not really, or at least if the man said anything else, it didn't seem like Lavi would listen, as he jolted forward, quick down the hall, calling over his shoulder, "Ah, okay, maybe I _won't_ die when I get in there."

The "Hopefully" definitely fell on deaf ears. Definitely. I couldn't look at the man as he passed by, I couldn't even apologize like I could for anyone else. Tyki. Uncle to Road, who was Allen's girlfriend, but that was superficial. It was those other things Brother had said that I couldn't quite ignore.

"Ah, ah, you should go after him." I jolted when the man stopped, eyes glued to the top of my head, "Goodness knows he might drop the cake and then where would he be?" Then he sighed and it sounded sad, and a hand—

I moved away before it could touch me.

But I didn't ignore the, "Of course." And the flat tune hummed on pursed lips as I saw Lavi disappear through the door of his apartment, saying a little too loudly—

"Yuu-_chan_!"

I pretended not to flinch.

**(Lavi's POV) **

"Neh, neh, Yuu-chan!" I didn't bother to be careful when I set the cake down on the counter, I only hoped that Lenalee understood and _stayed outside_ like she promised.

In the bathroom? Of course. Kanda went to the bathroom like normal people. Everyone had to when nature called—but—

It also was the only lockable door.

_Fuck_.

I was worried. I shouldn't have left. I wanted to know what Tyki did, if he did anything at all—_Of course he did_—but I knew I couldn't. Not much. Not with Lenalee waiting to be let in, because she was so polite like that. Like beansprouts. She would worry, too…and I didn't want that. Because if she worried then Komui'd get it out of her and—what would that man say _anyway_ to a sleep over?

No, no, just dinner. Of course just dinner.

I made my way over to the bathroom door and knocked—light hearted, I had to remind myself, and almost failed—"Hey, Yuu-chan, it's me! I'm back! Hope ya don't wanna kill me after your finished taking a wee!"

Well that was a little inappropriate, but then I hadn't expected the door to jerk open so soon, and it made my stomach do an odd twisted flip.

He looked a little paler than normal, and his left hand was twitching ever so slightly, like he wanted to grip something or shove something or—

"Hey, hey, Yuu-chan!" He didn't say anything, so I gripped that wrist and tugged, "I got'cha a cake too—oh, an' ran by Tyki too," _He flinched_, "Said 'e got a phone call from his boss an' all, but not to worry!"

"I don't fucking like cake." Hadn't expected a response either, but I got one. Maybe he was trying to be normal? But it just worried me more. He sounded so hoarse.

"I know, I know, but it's _lemon _flavored! I know you like lemon icing!" Though that wouldn't do any good, "And even if ya don't, guess who's over ta help polish it off?"

He blinked at me, and looked over at the door, half expecting whoever it was to be standing there. Maybe so he could send them a death glare.

He didn't even ask_ who_.

"It's _Lenalee_!" And like a game show host, I made a sweeping motion towards the closed door, and just on cue, the doorknob turned, and Lenalee poked her head through, smiling hesitantly, but again like she was worried.

Worried, worried, and she thought she could hide it? Even in the elevator with her laugh. And I was right when I thought she knew Tyki. But I'd ask about that later.

I'd ask, too, about the flinch, because now wasn't the time, with Lenalee stepping in and moving forward to hug Kanda. Of course he'd let her, and of course he'd stiffen at the touch.

"It's nice to see you again, Kanda." She mumbled into his chest, only to receive a grunt, "Now you're going to tell me—" and she looked up at him then, smiling, and stepping _away_ and I was almost worried whatr she was going to say. What her attempt at lightening the mood was going to be—_and_—

"What do you have edible in this place?"

I blinked. Kanda blinked, and maybe it was too hilarious too soon, and a little bit of mood whiplash but—

"Don't look so surprised! I said I wanted to at least stay for dinner, so let me cook!"

Was it bad that neither of us could say no?

Probably.

**(POLAR'S POV) **

"You…what?" I turned away immediately as the shirt slipped off, trying to hard to focus on anything _but _the woman in front of me. Changing clothes.

But apparently she didn't get it.

"You _what_?" She repeated, turning fully around, and getting straight up in my face, "_what_ what? Is that…what did you _say_?"

Bookman sighed off in the corner somewhere (also giving the damn woman some decency that she apparently didn't want from me), but I could tell he was listening in. Listening for the slip he knew I might make.

Which I wouldn't make.

_Note to self: Stop with the slip ups_

"I just ran into him." I shrugged, "I never said I _said_ anything."

"But you did." She replied back, smartly, grabbing the closest shirt and pulling it over her head, "You wouldn't just not."

"And I wouldn't _just_," I reminded her, "I don't even know him."

"But he knows Lavi."

And I wanted so much to say _so what_? Because it shouldn't have mattered anymore. But it did. More than did.

Bookman shifted off in the corner, crushing another cigarette bud in the ashtray, eyeing me. I had to wonder how Lavi dealt with it, but then he'd been through much worse.

_Of course_.

I exhaled, "Well he wasn't talkative."

"Again, doesn't mean you didn't say anything." She flipped her sunglasses on, and sat back on the bed, leaning back a bit to look up at me, "Polar, I've known you for _how_ long now?"

I didn't say anything. I didn't have to. We both knew the answer to that. And she smiled, but it was nowhere _near_ friendly, "Exactly. You said something, didn't you?"

I looked over at Bookman, but his gaze had already turned away.

"You know I'm going to just bug you about it until you say something, right?"

I sighed, "I know." Because I did. I didn't even have to answer that for her to know. It was obvious, anyway.

_Note to Self:_

Ah, hell.

"He didn't ask anything about the mission, did he?" I blinked, mouth agape, _What_? "From your expression I'd say no."

Didn't she hear me earlier? But I felt myself answering anyway, "The guy didn't _talk_."

At that, Bookman snorted, off in that little corner of his, before coughing, "I would assume he has no _interest_ in it." Kohl covered eyelids slid half closed as he gazed reprimanding at the both of us, "taking into consider_ation_, your original objective has yet to be complete, hasn't it?"

"Shut up old man." I grimaced as the man scowled, "I wanted to see Lavi, and _why not_? They said we needed help, and the man we want is _here_. Or at least, he's been sighted."

"Is this a proven fact?" She nodded her head, "You're sure?"

"Surer than butter making you fat."

…

"That made no sense."

"I concur."

She scowled at the both of us then, fiddling with her sunglasses for a moment, before flopping entirely back—I heard the cheap bedsprings creak under her weight, and wondered exactly how old these beds were.

_Note to self: _

Not that it matters.

"You still aren't answering my question." She said to the ceiling and no I couldn't see up her skirt _what_? Her legs closed immediately, like she had felt my stares, and in a split second she was rolling over on her stomach, folding and twisting until her head was near me, and her legs splayed out so un-lady-like, feet resting on the pillow, "What kind of conversation do you have with someone who didn't contribute?"

It was rhetorical, but she'd answer it anyway.

"You tell them things." Point blank, scowling, she waved her hand in front of her nose before pinching it, "You tell them things like _Bookman _could you not smoke in a non-smoking room?"

_Ah right, it's non-smoking, isn't it? _I didn't want to know where he filched the ashtray, much less when.

The man didn't listen, though. He just continued smoking, exhaling a deep puff of smoke _just_ to get on her nerves.

She sighed, "Well anyway, so you told him something. Something he didn't have to respond to. What?"

"What?" Well that was smart.

"On a scale of one to ten, one being the least likely, ten being the most—what was the likelihood of it being about Lavi?"

I blinked.

"Seven, maybe? Eight?" Again she answered her own question, "You do realize that you probably shouldn't have done that." Her eyes cast over to Bookman, who was giving me an equally reprimanding stare.

But I hadn't slipped up yet. Even if I _had _mentioned…a few things…about Lavi that the man should watch out for…I wouldn't repeat them to these two. Never. I'd keep my lips sealed.

_If I had to begin with then the wouldn't even know.' _Of course there was that, but, it was the last one. Swear it. _Swear it to who? _

"Well?" I jolted when her voice rose slightly, demanding, "He's still in his persona isn't he? Of 'Lavi', considering he still has that name?"

It took me a moment to wonder why the heck I hadn't thought of that.

"Because if he is, then this slip up could be pretty severe." Her eyes snapped back to mine, and I couldn't help the grimace, "After all, it's ingrained isn't it, and if you even _hint_ at there being…a personality behind that then…you _know _the possibility stands that he'll start questioning it, right?"

I swallowed, "But he didn't say—"

"_Again_, just because he didn't say anything doesn't mean a thing. He could be thinking it, and none of us are mind readers here!"

Since when did that become part of the equation? But I kept my mouth shut. That is, until I couldn't—until her hands placed on either side, dragging me forward.

"So what did you say?"

"Nothing harmful."

"Oh?" She didn't believe me. Of course she wouldn't, "You're sure."

"Just guidelines."

I felt Bookman's eyes burning into the back of my skull.

"And I-asked how he was doing."

_Shut up mouth_

But her eyes softened at that, "And he didn't tell you?"

"I took the silence as a good thing." Because silence was better than keeping a secret so big that—"He always gets himself into trouble." I continued, half glancing at Bookman's now rigid frame, "No matter _what_ persona he's in. So it'd be best if someone watched him."

"You asked him to watch Lavi?" She sounded almost disbelieving, "But—" I knew she was going to mention how voiceless I said he was, and yet _that_ was—was—

"He didn't say no."

Her mouth snapped shut.

And maybe I saw Bookman's shoulders relax a little bit. Only slightly, but it was enough. Enough to know I said the right thing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

**And there you have it. Chapter 34. Mood whiplash in a can (for some parts) or at least that's what I think. But then...Lenalee's there so I guess some of it is justified...*cough***

**OH! But I have some great news: THE NEXT CHAPTER IS FINISHED (or extremely close to being finished)! See what I can do when I actually have _time_ to do it? *is happy* So yeah. The next chapter focuses more on Road and Allen, if you like that pairing~ also...has stuff to do with how long you should keep things in the fridge. Ah the bachelor life. I guess *laugh***

**As always, Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review! (again, I probably won't be able to answer them _immediately_, but I will try!) **

***and now she's attempting to get down off her coffee high* S-So...not used...to Coffee...**


	36. Can cats drink coffee?

**Chapter 35 here. And updated, well, a bit early (I think?) Just because I got my laptop back on Friday, and also because, well, since I got my laptop back, I got all my _requests_ back too...which means the next update might be a bit late, and I'm sorry in advance for that XP *hates making people wait on requests, though* they definitely take priority at the moment...but moving onnnn~ **

**In this chapter you'll see a tentative amount of: Lenalee and refrigerator mayhem (what do **_**you**_** have growing on your soba noodles?), Road being a successful stalker, and evil kitty-cats**

**Note: Mostly written because I realized Road and Allen haven't had any screen time together in a while. Also, to abate needless confusion: their scene takes place **_**during **_**the previous chapter. While Lavi's POV (at the end) takes place roughly 30 minutes **_**after**_** the events of the previous chapter. **

**Note 2: **_**Yes**_** there's an extra scene at the end of this. Why? Because I'm not sure if I'll get anything up before Halloween, and it's officially an important date for me, so I wanted to write something for it. (for those who know me on LJ, this was uploaded earlier today). It's set a bit in the future of this timeline, and it doesn't give away any huge spoilers. It's like an Omake Theatre. Of sorts. *blinks* (also you'll notice slight changes like it's in 3****rd**** person, and Road is spelled Rhode…small things like that). I should also note that I update stuff on LJ (for DGM, mostly for this pairing) that you probably won't see till later on, here . So if you're curious, then go take a look~ (I have the same username on there as on here *if that helps*) **

**And of course, thanks so much to: The Hecateae, Mysticmoon, Kakashi and BB's nightmare, bloodygirl2461, Evanescent Silence, and Klaanvdia for reviewing! *hugs* (I have 270 reviews now! Only 30 more till I beat my record! THANK YOU! XD) *feels happy about that*  
**

**-------(R O A D 'S P O V)-------**

My plan was fool proof, I knew it. It _had_ to be, because it had been just _too long_, and I was getting annoyed. They'd understand, right? Why I'd want to go see Allen? After all, Tyki wasn't at the house, or _his _house so it wasn't like Sheryl could easily sic him on me, right? Right.

So my plan was foolproof. I just happened to have two accomplices. The twins. And maybe they'd be my downfall, but then maybe they wouldn't.

"Are you sure we won't get screwed for this?" Devit asked, warily, as we slunk past the brick wall bordering Papa's house. It was almost funny how careful he was being. No. It _was_.

I let out a quiet giggle, "Since when did you care about breaking the rules?"

His eyes snapped, livid, to mine, and he scowled, "Since, y'know, we had to lie to your dad."

"And he's creepy!" Jasdero butted in, getting kicked in the stomach a moment later by Devit, for a reason I wouldn't ask about. I was probably better off not knowing.

But _really_, "He isn't _creepy_."

"Then what's with those 'lusty eyes from hell?' I thought Lulubelle was supposed to be lusty!" I stopped dead in my tracks. Wait _what_? I blinked, and stared at the blonde, did he just say…?

"You think Lulubelle's _lusty_?" Apparently he did from the apologetic look he gave Devit, cowering a bit behind us like he was afraid his twin would smack him upside the head.

"W-Well that's what th-the _Earl_ says!"

"Do you think I give a flying fuck what the _Earl _thinks?!" I had to commend him for that. For saying something I could never—

But it wasn't allowed, "_Devit_," He tensed, "That's not the thing to say right now _is it_?" He swallowed, but just like his pride, he didn't back down.

"Yeah well, who decided Lulubelle was _lusty_?"

"Does it _really_ matter?"

"Yes!"

"_Right now_?" His eyes widened for the briefest second before he backed down. Like a kicked dog, how nice, "You said you'd help me anyway. And Lulubelle's sexiness isn't exactly, y'know, a part of helping me."

"…What _are_ we helpin' you with anyway?" Jasdero asked, hesitantly, after a moment.

"You're helping me get to All-en!"

"Weren't you paying attentio—wait…why _are_ we helping you with that again?" Now that same affronted tone was being aimed at _me._

"Because you're nice?"

He scowled. Jasdero mimicked the action.

"Like hell, he's the closest thing to our enemy right now!"

"Without actually _being_ the enemy," I reminded them, "Remember Cross is just his Guardian, and I'm pretty sure they aren't on speaking terms at the moment." After all, the man had repeatedly _said_ I couldn't speak to him. Of course, that hadn't meant I'd given _up_, obviously.

It just meant I had to try a little harder.

And my work had come with gracious rewards.

"Yeah but he still lives at the same place, doesn't he?"

"Not at the moment, no," I shook my head and sighed—the house was behind us now, thankfully. And Papa wouldn't be home for another few hours, so.

"How do you know that?"

I smiled, "Because~"

Devit scowled even further, "No really, how do you _know_? What if we're going to the wrong place because of you?"

"Oh we aren't~!"

"_Again_—"

I twirled around easily, smiling just a little broader, "Well, you know when two people get in an _argument_, they tend to stay away from each other, _right_?"

"Right, but Cross is his guardian."

"Exactly. Well, what if you saw said _guardian_ and some woman yelling about it?"

"…so you stalked him?" He looked a little impressed. Just a little.

"No, no, I _overheard_ them." Because I had, originally, though neither had been very loud, "The woman—another one of _them_, Klaud, Cloud, something like that—was saying what a _prick_ he was, and how she hoped Allen stayed with 'Divine', and then they both got dragged off some place."

"So Cross has bitches yell at him sometime too?" He was more than impressed by that new-found knowledge.

"Phff, I bet he was afraid he'd get his _balls_ chopped off!" Jasdero cackled.

"Well who _wouldn't_ be? Wouldn't put it past a bitch who isn't a damn puddle after talkin' to the man."

"Like you two know so much about him~" Even though I knew they did. At least, somewhat.

"Know anything about him?" The question was in unison, along with scathing looks, and I just giggled at that. "The _Earl_ sent us out to look for him remember?"

"That one time."

"A few months back."

"I can't believe"

"One man"

"Can hide"

"In one city"

"For _months_!"

"Without us finding him!" They were glaring at each other now, and I could feel an argument on the horizon, heavy and unfriendly and—

"You can settle whose fault it is _later_, can't you?" I hopscotched my way across the street, knowing they'd follow me regardless, and when I reached the other side, I smiled—of course they had.

"But!"

"It's your fault for being an idiot!" Devit snapped, glowering at his twin.

"I'm sorry!"

"No you aren't!" A kick to the shin, and I sighed.

"Really, both of you." They stopped the imminent argument, "We're looking for _Allen_, okay?"

"And again, why should we help you see an _enemy_?"

"Cross is the enemy, and you won't even _see_ him!"

"He's good enough!" Jasdero spat, before gnawing on his lower lip, "I mean, I mean—"

"The next time I see 'im, I'll kill 'im!" I ignored the glances that shot at us from the painfully few people out at this hour—after all, it was almost dinner time. Most people would be at home cooking, or relaxing.

"You can if you want to." I decided to play along, "But again, we won't be seeing him. Now c'mon, we have to _hurry_!"

"Hurry, shmurry, how far is it anyway?"

"A few more blocks, it's actually really close."

"You mean you looked up the address?"

I looked back and Devit and smiled, "Of course!" I reached into the dress pocket of the shirt I borrowed that morning, and pulled out a slip of paper, waving it in the air.

"You sure you have the right one, though?" He took it from me easily enough, and read it quietly to himself.

"Do you know how many people in this city are named _Divine_?"

"What if it isn't _in_ this city?" Jasdero asked, peering at the sheet of paper too, squinting at the numbers.

"Well why would it be out of town?"

"The farther the better, right?" But honestly, it sounded like he couldn't think of a better response.

I sighed, "B_ecause_, they got in an argument."

He simply repeated his statement, "Then the farther away the better?"

"They got in an argument, but it doesn't mean they can't _apologize_." I reprimanded, grabbing the sheet back from Devit, "And they have to be close enough for that, but far enough away for breathing room." Admittedly this was a little more than just a little 'far away', considering Cross practically lived in downtown, and this was a rather nice outskirt area, with small shops and such—everything picturesque of a quaint little village. Except not.

But it kept them silent, at least, until we turned roughly 3 more corners, and maneuvered past four more streets, crossing two, waiting for lights and—

"Are we _there_ yet?" Devit groaned, with Jasdero leaning inappropriately against his shoulder.

"We just passed the pharmacy." I pointed to the small little shop across the street, with a big redlight and _blink, blink_—it was going to go out soon. Which meant that there'd be _accidents_, and wouldn't that be fun?

"what does a _pharmacy _have to do with anything though?" Jasdero mumbled into Devit's neck, I ignored the shiver the twin gave.

"It means we have to turn just up ahead and go down a bit, and then we're there." I felt my lips twitch as Devit shoved the other off. When he tripped and fell against pavement, and gathered more stares, he just kept moving. Because we needed to get there, and they were tired and probably wouldn't help me get home.

Probably. But then _daddy _probably would. It had almost been what? Thirty minutes? Papa was probably home already. Maybe he'd call Tyki. But then _Tyki _was busy too, wasn't he? Wasn't he?

"And how much farther will _that_ be?" Devit asked, left leg twitching as he caught up to me, "Another ten minutes? Twenty?" his hand fell easily on my shoulder.

"I'd say ten."

"If we speed walk?"

"Nope~" I shrugged his hand off, and smiled, "Just a little more! You can leave me there if you want."

"But he's the enemy." A pause, "And I lied to your dad over the damn phone. He's never gonna let me in his house _again_."

"And it was so nice too!" Jasdero was limping somewhere behind us, "I liked the couch the best!"

"Because you drool all over it."

"So?"

"_So_—" A pause. A sigh, "Never mind."

They fell silent again, Devit falling behind me to grab at Jasdero's arm and make him walk just a little straighter, pride forgone for a moment, as we walked, found the corner, another blazing red light, and turned again.

It didn't take long then, but then maybe it was because I was walking a little too fast, not that it mattered that I left them behind. They'd probably leave me there anyway. Or maybe they wouldn't.

But—_But_—I wouldn't just leave if they told me too. I wouldn't just leave after '_Hello' _because why should I?

'_He hasn't been in school either.' _They said he had been sick, but _still_, _'Allen wouldn't just be out when he's sick! He wouldn't!' _It was far too fishy to not stink of something deeper and just plain _bad_. Like too many rotten fish. A bad catch.

I swallowed then, when I saw a mail box off in the distance, and, glancing once at the paper, and once at the two who were lagging even farther behind—I dashed forward.

Sure enough, the numbers matched.

But…

'_Should this kind of place have a mail box?' _I wasn't quite sure. It was almost surprising. The house didn't fit.

'_But then neither does a name like Divine.' _Which meant Allen was there.

Could I knock? Did I want to? Couldn't I just—

Then I heard it, the voice I hadn't heard in what felt like forever—

"Timcampy! No! Don't eat the bird! It didn't do anything to you!"

_Allen_!

I didn't even wait for them to catch up, before I was running—towards that voice, just to _see_—and—I rounded the back, there wasn't really a fence to speak of—just a few trees and—

_Allen_.

Sitting there, wearing white, looking mildly horrified at one of the trees—or at something…_climbing_ it—

"Timcampy!" He called again, "C'mon Tim, stop!"

Why did I care who that was? Why couldn't I figure that out _later_? He was standing right there, wasn't he? Looking a little tired, a little like he hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep, and—he was _there_.

I just had to make my legs move.

I just—had to—

"Timcampy!" And suddenly he was facing me, eyes wide in shock, "_Road_?!"

Then I had a cat. Sitting in my lap.

_What?_

And someone laughed.

_**Divine's POV**_

Well wasn't that amusing? I let out a soft chuckle as the boy staggered up on half-asleep legs, towards the girl that had just toppled over. She looked about his age, and I had to half wonder exactly how she got here, but then—

Well.

I chuckled again as Timcampy clawed at her shirt, and she was looking at me, I was sure, not that she could see me—much less _care_—when Allen leaned down in front of her, hands held out, to pull Timcampy off.

When she hugged him a moment later, cat or no cat between them, _'Girlfriend?' _popped into my mind a little faster than any other explanation.

And, well, wasn't _that_ surprising? Just a little?

"Allen!~" she hummed in a singsong-esque voice, cat hissing loudly between them, "Where have you _been_!"

"Um—uh—"

'_Well, he's been _here_ of course!' _I had to wonder if Cloud knew this child, or had told her. Or maybe if she had found out from Cross? Not that it mattered much for amusements sake, when Timcampy extended his claws, and—_oh, ouch_…

Not really.

I snickered just a little louder, as the young feline dashed its way under the porch, setting the tray with Starbucks-brand Coffee down, on the small side table I had brought out, before making my way down the steps.

They saw me now, despite the fingers touching the light scratch across his cheek—a _battle wound_. One of many, I was sure, he'd receive while training that cat to listen.

"Goodness, are you okay?" I said, chuckling again when shoulders tensed, and grey eyes gazed back at me, wide and a little pained. He had been through worse, "Or is that a stupid question? You're bleeding." I pulled out a convenient handkerchief I usually cared in my sleeves and, crossing the distance to where the two were still standing, pressed it none-too-gently against his cheek.

The girl immediately took over, eyes still focused on the wound, like blood was_ really_ that satisfying? Really?

I chuckled once more, and that seemed to irritate her, only slightly, "And who might you be?" I wondered, because I could be curious, couldn't I? "It's not every day I see someone sneak their way into my yard."

"Well, you don't have a fence."

_That's true_.

"And I came here to see All-en." He grimaced when she pulled the cloth away, and ran a nail against the wound, inspecting it with a morbid bit of fascination.

I chuckled once more, then sighed, "I see, a friend then?"

"_Girl_friend." Blue eyes snapped up to mine. A challenge, oh?

I bowed my head slightly, "I see, my bad." Then I turned my gaze to the white haired teen still in the girl's incessant grip, "You have a girlfriend? My, I'm_ proud_."

He looked flustered, "W-Well…th…" he glanced at Road, who was still glaring at me, "Thank you?"

_Smart move. _For all that sounded like it would be an excuse.

Something like 'We aren't dating yet' or 'It's not official', because maybe someone would be hurt in the process.

"How did you know I was here?" He asked instead, curious, ignoring me for a moment.

"Oh? I was at a restaurant…and saw Cross." _Tense muscles_—and she noticed. Smart girl, "I thought I'd talk to him, since he hadn't been returning my calls or anything, or letting me talk to you, since, y'know, I thought you'd still be staying with him if you were sick." She paused, pressing the handkerchief against the scratch again, "I was just leaving though, and Papa had an importance business matter—I told you he was busy didn't I?—" the boy gave a forced nod before she continued, "So I thought I'd just pass by when I left, _but_, as it turns out, they—he was with a girl, maybe you know her? She had blonde hair, really messy, covering one side of her face—were leaving too."

I saw the swallow rather than heard it. The boy's entire frame moved with it, and she squinted. _Oh_, she knew. She knew as much as I did anyway. As much as Cloud inevitably knew now, as well.

"And, well, I asked Papa if I could take a walk around, while he answered an important phone call, and he agreed—I think he was really busy though, so—and…well…I didn't hear anything too bad, I don't think, but that lady was shouting at him, I was _shocked_, I thought she might hit him! So I went over, but they were about to leave again, and I didn't want to come and, y'know, bother them or whatever." She paused to gauge his reaction, "But the woman said that she was glad you were staying here?" She was gauging mine as well, I could tell when her eyes flickered to me briefly, "And…your name is Divine isn't it?"

I nodded my head, "Yes, it is."

"So I knew no one had the same name as _that_—so I looked it up. An' sure enough, it brought up this address. So I decided to find you myself."

Allen swallowed.

I felt my lips twitch.

She simply blinked.

"I…" Allen finally started, after another thick swallow, "I…ah…th—"

Poor stuttering mess, I sighed and answered for him, "Goodness, does your father know you're here, though?" She shook her head, face turning slightly bitter, "So you walked here all on your lonesome?"

At that she shook her head again, "No, I had my…_cousins_ with me. Devit and Jasdero." She looked behind her, as if she half expected them to be there, but she didn't seem too unhappy when they weren't, "I think I lost them, though."

"I think you did." I looked behind her too, just to make sure, "Hum, what do they look like?"

"They're both boys—twins, but they look nothing alike." She paused, "And they stick out. Don't worry, though, they both have cellphones, they'll call someone, I'm sure."

"Well, if you're sure."

"I am." But her breath caught as she said that, and suddenly she pulled away from the boy, looking nervous for a split second, before relaxing, "Oh, an' my name's Road! Road Kamelot!"

"Oh? Well, it's very nice to meet you, but as you already know, my name is Divine." I made to bow again, and smile. _Goodness_ she looked so happy when she smiled! Almost like that redhaired boy, "Would you like some coffee? I just made a fresh brew." I looked over at Allen, "Which reminds me," I turned back and—_oh_, "Timcampy's drinking yours."

"What?" He looked back as well, and gawked, "Timcampy!" But the cat didn't budge. He just continued to lap at the dark liquid, as if it had been for him.

_I hope Caffeines okay for cats. _Not that it mattered much, _Goodness he'll be hyper later_.

But Allen was already on his heels, turning and making his way back to the coffee—to try and claim it as _his _because goodness knows he had to look brave in front of his girlfriend!

But she laughed anyway. Regardless.

_I think I might like her_, because the laugh seemed a little more real than the smile, especially when Allen tripped—

But—

Then—

"When'd he get the cat?" She asked me before she ran over to him, smiling all the while—_curious_, for lack of a better word.

"Ah, we had a stray have kittens underneath the shed," I pointed to the elevated building, "the cat sort of chose him."

"And it acts like _that_?" The cat was currently hissing at the boy, and he was cowering—all sense of 'manly' gone with the wind. Not to quote, but…

"Yes, apparently."

"Aww, jeez," and then she took off, towards Allen and towards the demonic cat, "You _really_ have to grow a backbone one day!" I heard her reprimand, and it was almost surprising to see the boy nod. Whether it was to please her or not, I didn't know, _but_—

And only but.

I couldn't help chuckling again, as it perched against her shoulder, rubbing itself against her neck in an apologetic fashion.

_Cute cat_.

…

Because it was.

I chuckled again, and moved towards them, picking up the bloodied handkerchief she had dropped, and tucking it back inside my shirt sleeve.

_Maybe the rest of the day will be this eventful? _

**(L A V I 'S P O V) **

"Why the fuck should I care about cottage _cheese_?"

"Because it's past its expiration date!"

"But…it's _cheese_."

"That's _exactly_ why!"

"And I never eat it."

"Then why do you have it?"

Two sets of eyes fell on me, and immediately I knew I shouldn't be laughing. This wasn't supposed to be funny, it _wasn't_, "Whaat? It was in there when I moved in! Swear it!"

"It was in there _after_ you moved in." Kanda snapped, "You fucking chucked it in there after making that disgusting thing called…" he couldn't seem to find the word.

"Lasagna?"

"_Yes_."

"But Yuu-chan," I pleaded, "Ya need ta get _used to _other foods besides soba!"

"Che, _no_ I don't."

"Speaking of which." Lenalee cut him, off, setting the cottage cheese down the counter with a cringe, "I _think_ I saw some _soba_ noodles somewhere in the back…that had something growing on them."

"I doubt it."

"Yuu-chan cleans off _every_ bit of soba he can!" I agreed, though it would be funny…

And sure enough, after a few minutes of rummaging—pushing aside pepsi cans and tubberware containers with leftovers I filched from the school—she found a small one, just like the rest…

Of soba noodles.

She held them up proudly like a trophy, "Now who wants to tell me how long _this _has been in here?"

Kanda snorted.

I almost laughed, "Wow, how'd _that_ get out of—"

"It was fucking _made_ wrong."

"Made wrong?" Lenalee blinked at him, "How can it—"

"Tiedoll tried to make it." _Well_ that explained everything.

"And you won't eat it just because of that?" But of course Lenalee didn't get it.

"It's made wrong." He repeated, scrunching up his nose in a disgusted face that seemed almost normal from the 30-minute-ago pale figure I had come home to.

_Come home to_, but I shoved that thought away. I'd ask later. When it wasn't so mood-whiplash _happy_.

Or Lenalee was asleep. If she even _stayed_, which was probably the plan she deviously thought of in her head: stay long enough, _talk_ long enough, to say 'Oh! It's getting late out! I'll have to stay over!' Because then Komui wouldn't _have_ a choice, and if he hadn't called already that must _mean_ he was busy…doing things…I didn't want to think of.

But I was anyway. Poorly made robots and explosions, and aphrodisiacs—I shuddered. _No, no, no_ because _those_ kinds of situations were _always _on the bitter end of awkward. Especially when certain Yuu-chan's, or Lenalee's were involved and then the _rampage_ and—

"How can _soba _be _made_ wrong?" She opened the container and sniffed it, flinching away almost immediately, "I mean, I…I can't tell how it looked before, and it smells weird now, but I'm sure it wasn't bad when it was first made! You should have at least _tried_ a bite!"

"Fuck no. You couldn't _force_ me to eat that shit." Kanda spat, backing away as she held out the weeks old noodles.

"Though we could _try_." I pointed out, "It'd be kinky." Well, that last part wasn't needed, and Lenalee laughed a little too loudly at it, but _Kanda_—

"_Fuck_ no! I'd bite your damn fingers off."

I backed down almost immediately, holding my hands up and leaning as far back as I could in the stool without falling off, "I'm sure you would! I'm sure you would!"

Lenalee whapped him on the arm, "You shouldn't _say_ that!"

"When it's the fucking truth?"

"No it isn't! If you two can live together for an _entire summer_ without driving each other insane then that _has_ to be something, right!" They both grimaced when her hand tilted a little bit, making the disgusting noodle concoction tilt precariously and dribble on the floor.

"Er…and I'll clean that up!" She hastily put the soba next to the cottage cheese, and looked around, "The cleaner…where…?"

"Bathroom."

Her eyes focused on the still open door and immediately she dashed to it, I could hear her rummaging around when I took one look back at Kanda. Who was glaring at the dribble of mess on the floor, like it had burned him. Or something.

"Neh, neh, Yuu-cha—" His eyes flashed to mine, and he blinked again, and…wait…leaned against the counter? Leaned _over_ the counter?

"What's she doing here?"

I blinked, "Wha--?" He just stared. I swallowed, "She said…she hadn't seen you in a while, an' hadn't visited your place…and stuff." It was funny how I couldn't quite remember what she said now, with him leaning so close—I could _kiss_ him and probably get away with—_no_! What was I _thinking_? _'He reacted badly last time, you dimwit!' _

"Is that it?" Lenalee was still rummaging, but his words came out a little quicker.

"Er…"

"I mean…_what do you think it is_?" I didn't question why he said the last part in Japanese, when Lenalee turned back around on her heels. Because she'd overhear, surely. Because women had good hearing like that, and she was as good as a woman now, at the age of 16 and with a brother who knew next to nothing about civil living—

I could only shake my head 'no', before she got back. But she still noticed, "What're you two talking about?" But she got on the floor anyway, and started cleaning, like she actually didn't want to know but—_oh yes she did_.

"Just asking if he took his fucking meds yet."

Her eyes snapped up, "What?"

"Painkillers," I corrected, "An' no I haven't, but I swear my arm doesn't hurt!"

"Still doesn't mean you can't fucking _take_ them." He snapped just as usual, "You will take them tonight."

"But—" His glare nearly made me wilt, and if I read into it too much I knew he meant something entirely different from that, "…I…_dun' wanna_! They taste bad!"

"So?"

"You'll actually watch him take them?" Lenalee sounded surprised.

"Fucking have to." Like he was revealing some huge secret.

"Yup, yup! He forces 'em down my throat and _makes_ me swallow them!" Didn't mean I couldn't play it up either. That was allowed wasn't it?

"Really?" Because Lenalee would believe it too, with eyes big and doeful, like that was really inappropriate.

"Fuck no!" He looked offended, righteously offended, "Like I'd get my fingers anywhere near your fucking mouth!" He glowered with the best of them, surpassing most in ten seconds flat.

"Of course you wouldn't," But I could play it up like the best of 'em too, wiggling my eyebrow suggestively, which didn't quite work but it got a _blush_ and—

"_Really_!"

"Just clean the fucking floor."

And that's just what she did, scrubbing at it—it was really too easy—she was done in a few minutes, and soon her eyes were back on us, questioning, "I really did wonder how you two…" she trailed off, clapping her hands together.

So wait…did she think…?

"Whatever's going through your mind right now, _stop_." But Kanda said it for me, eyes narrowing, a scowl set firmly in place.

"Wha…?" She blinked, letting her hands fall to the side.

"Whatever it is. Stop. It's not true." It didn't help that he was reiterating that. And the _Che_ did a world of good too.

Oh it _did_, he grabbed the cleaner a second later and made his way back to the bathroom, out of earshot though I _knew_—

"I-Is…Kanda…okay?"

I let out a chuckle, but it was dry and she knew it, "Eh, you just pricked a nerve. Tha's all."

"But…I was _kidding_." She looked apologetic, "I mean…"

"I know you were," I cut her off with a friendlier smile, "He jus' doesn't like stuff like that, even if it _is_ a joke." I paused, "Well…at leas'…not when it's aimed at _him_."

She blinked at me, confusion still clear in her eyes and asked, so innocently that I couldn't even tell if she was _kidding_ or not, "Is it that bad to be such good friends?"

…I tried so hard not to laugh really I did, but when a loud string of curses answered from the bathroom—_'Damn fucking door'--_

I laughed.

**( O M A K E T H E A T R E of sorts) **

_**Rhode's Fashion Sense…**_

Tyki had to admit, on some level, he was entirely too amused with the situation. With the way Sheryl shrieked and hollered blasphemy, pointing an accusing finger at his dear-daughters get up, and Rhode just standing there, _amused_, and grinning like this was the sole purpose for her attire.

Which, Tyki mused, it probably _was_. Or at least, he wouldn't put it past her, as he lit up a cigarette and put it between his lips, inhaling the intoxicating smoke and blowing out. He knew this was bad for him too, but what kind of moral lesson would _he_ be teaching? Did he even really know?

Well. No. But. Who could blame him?

"_Tyki_!" He cringed when Sheryl's shrill voice aimed at him, "Please _tell _your dear little Niece that she's being unreasonable!"

Rhode turned that undeniable smile back to him, lips twitching upward in a threat that if he so chose to _mention_ something, well, maybe it wasn't such a smart idea to make things so obvious. So he shrugged, "It's Halloween, brother. She can dress how she wants." Though the thoroughly affronted expression on his face _was_ a little more on the amusing side.

"B-B-but!" Before he could necessarily stop it, he felt the lips press gently to his cheek, and Rhode clinged for a moment, smiling, "I knew you'd understand Ty-ki~"

He sighed, "yes, yes, get off please." And she let go, easily enough, and turned on her heels, "And pull your pants up. I might agree you can dress however you like, _but_ that doesn't mean I want to see your underwear either." He paused to give those words time to simmer, "Where on earth did you get boys underwear anyway?"

The cryptic smile did little to ease the question, "It's a _se-cret_ ~ Now lets go! I'm gonna be late for school if this keeps up~"

-----------**(A T S C H O O L) **-------------------------------------

He was pretty sure he was seeing things. Actually, no, he was _more_ than sure, with how familiar the voice sounded--it couldn't be _anyone_ but her. But then _why_ and _how_ and--

He was tackled to the ground before he could get a legitimate answer out of the mess, and landed with a dull thud on the more than a little disgusting floor of the cafeteria. He was pretty sure he heard a gasp rise up from the table he just so happened to sit at, and then a round of giggles.

Did Rhode _always_ have to do that? _Always_?

"Allen~" She cooed in a disgustingly feminine way, despite her current attire, "I missed you~"

"But Rhode, you just saw me yesterday!" And he had to pretend he wasn't choking in her grip, or that his face wasn't red. He was glad he was getting better at it, though. Something he had to thank Divine for, even if he didn't like the _thanking_, "I'm sure you--"

"I what?" She pulled back, straddling his waist, and grinning at him with half-lidded eyes that made his stomach flip a little, "Besides, what're you supposed to be?" And the way she placed her hands on his chest made him swallow, because it was _highly_ sexualized, and, well, he probably shouldn't _know_ that but--

He cut the thought off, twinging at the pain it brought, somewhere in the back of his mind. He sighed again, "What do I look like?"

Her eyes raked over him again, "A clown of sorts? A joker?" He nodded at the latter choice, "Well...you look like a really hipped out version of one." She tugged at one of the ties, "And it's too well-made to be just _any_ old costume." Her eyes narrowed again, inspecting in a way that oddly reminded him of _Lavi_, except with two eyes instead of one, and that were blue and not green, "It wouldn't happen to be your performance outfit, would it?"

_Ah, smart_. But the Divine had said he might stick out because of it.

"Sorta. Chome made it for me," her eyes lit up, "Divine said I'd be wearing it when I first come out," which made him wonder, "Oh yeah, you'll be able to come, right?" She nodded her head enthusiastically, and he couldn't help the smile that stretched across his own face, "Good, um, I know last time it didn't exactly turn out as _planned_." But there was no use thinking about _that_, because he really didn't quite get what had happened then anyway (or maybe he did, but was just lying, not that it mattered in the long run. He hoped), so it was no use worrying about it.

"If papa throws another hissy fit with me goin' alone then, is it okay if I get an extra ticket? To bring Tyki?" Allen nodded his head again, that was easy enough to arrange, "But then he might drag along Lavi, who'll drag along Kanda..."

"They're already invited." He replied easily enough, not that he'd give _Kanda_ an invitation willingly, but he figured Lavi would drag him along anyway, and maybe the prick didn't have something stuck up his ass so much anymore. Maybe.

"Yay~" She giggled regardless, "Lavi's so fun, too!" He could only nod his head, "Kanda too, if he'd get that stick outta his ass. Oh, are people dressing up?"

He gawked, "You mean you'll stay in that?"

"Yup!"

"B-But--"

"But what?"

_So innocent_. It was almost hysterical.

"Even if that is a costume," They both jolted, for a few horrifying moments, as an authoritative figure loomed over them, "But pull your pants up." They both cringed, or well, he did enough cringing for the both of them, "And get off the floor. Class will start in five minutes. Now get," the stern glance, and the, well, wait--_was that Lenalee_? Dressed in a witches costume, eyes downcast--"I don't _want_ to have to give you detention on a Friday."

And just like always he felt himself shift, and maneuver to get up, but just as always Rhode spoke up, "But~ It's part of the--"

"Rhode."

He was mildly glad when her lips slid shut.

----------(**AT THE PERFORMANCE**) ----------

"Hey, hey!" He relaxed his shoulders instantly, when he felt someone bombard his back with a very severe hug, "All-en~ It's me!" And maybe he wasn't too surprised when she was still wearing the outfit she had earlier, but then, well, "I'm here, I'm here, so where's everyone else?" He could say he didn't mind pointing in a random direction, or the fact that she didn't move, or the fact that--

"Oh? You're girlfriend's finally here?"

It was official. Divine was a moment-ruiner,

"Ah! It's DP~" The man cringed, and Allen felt himself smirk a little, as Rhode unhanded him and flounced over to stand in front of the taller man, dressed in a fancier kimono with face paint that just _suited_ him. He also noticed the man was breathing hard. But that was probably just because--

"Yes, yes, of course I'm here." He waved his hand dismissively and walked over to the nearest chair, licking his lips before picking up some more of the powder like make up, and covering his face with it. So girly, except he _wasn't_.

Maybe something somewhere lodged in the back of his mind moved a little. When the man closed his eyes just a little, and his shoulders went lax ever so slightly. It was like he seemed _older_, and Allen nearly almost wanted to congratulate him on continuing.

But...but _why_?

"Divine!"

"Ah, Dana," His head whipped back around, shoulders tense once more, as Timothy's head popped in through the curtain. He too, was dressed in ornate clothing, with face paint, and bells tied around his wrists, "I think...um...the redhead," _Lavi_? "Broke something. Again. They're shouting really loud and--"

Divine sighed, "I understand." He glanced at Allen, who cringed, "You're here to see your friends aren't you? Well they're probably amusing themselves _now_. Or at least it sounds like it." It almost made Allen want to back away, when the man stood. Except that smile. It didn't seem so--so what? He couldn't place the word, "Well?"

He did scurry off after Timothy, though, at that. And he tried to ignore the strong smelling cologne, perfume, and aromatic candles that flickered down the tightly compacted row between the poorly made storage units and--

"OWw, Oww, _oww! _Yuu-chan's a meanie!" He heard Lavi before he saw him, stumbling out of one of the nearby structures, hands held up in defense.

Well. He had to wonder who he was.

Well. Except he could _guess_, couldn't he?

"Fucking insane rabbit!" He heard Kanda jeer a moment later, before coming out as well, hair down and flowing for once, wearing a traditional Samurai attire.

"But _Yuu-chan_! I'm _not_ insane!"

"What the fuck's with the get up then?" Admittedly the sleeves were unhooked now, but dressing up as an insane person, well, _yeah_, Allen stiffled a snicker as Rhode came out from behind him to rush over to the redhead.

"_Because it's Halloween_!"

"Are you an insane person?" He wasn't given any time to respond before Rhode was practically on him, eyes wide, "So cool! So cool! What kind of insane person _are_ you?"

Lavi blinked, Kanda blinked, and--was that Lenalee? Even _she_ looked mildly surprised.

But their focus soon cast off her, to him, when the laughs--_could they blame him_?--bubbled over. He wasn't even quite sure what was so _funny_, but--

He felt Divine's hand on his shoulder. And didn't stop. Not even when the man gave a condescending sigh, but if he was sure to look, he knew the man might be smiling.

And, well, he liked it when they joined in. Maybe it felt a little normal, now, just like before.

Just a little

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Happy chapter is happy. Nice to get away from the angst for a while, isn't it? And again one simple scene is taking so much longer than I originally expected it to…but ah, well, it doesn't much matter in the long run. But really…do **_**you**_** (as the reader) think Lenalee thought they were talking about friendship? Or do you think she's just asking? *would like to know* **

**Also the costume Rhode is wearing (in the OMAKE) is based off a piece of fanart Kanda-Kun (on dA) drew me *of Rhode, for a 10-free pics request* thanks to that I had to do the 10-free fics request, but it was worth it XD **

**As always, Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review! I would love to hear from you!**

**And now off to work on the next chapter (and requests…oh gosh) **


	37. Fence

**And now I feel bad. Very bad. I've let this…chapter…sit here, half finished for **_**two freakin' months**_**. And I didn't realize it had **_**been**_** that long till I got my ass up and **_**checked**_**. I-I'm…**_**so very sorry for the freakishly long wait**_**! (those on LJ, know I've been active—and writing. Only short blurbs, but still **_**writing**_**, which makes me feel even worse…) *sigh* Gah…I guess the only good news I can bring *because of the wait* is:**

**A-I'm going to go back through and edit each chapter individually AT SOME POINT. This may take a while, but I DO plan to do it (after looking around for Komui's name in this, and coming upon a scene I don't even remember **_**writing**_**) especially for the first 5/6 chapters. Also will be re-reading, just for the heckuvit. **

**B-I…can't remember what this one was—OH RIGHT! This is an Early Christmas present, cuz I'll be busy starting…later today, actually, due to my girlfriend coming down for a week to spend Christmas with us!~ *so happy* (I wanted to get this chapter uploaded before she got here). **

**So FAIL. **

**Oh, and RP's are part to blame for this…or at least, for taking up what little time I had left (and my inability to multitask didn't help much). 337 pages in one month? Uh…yeah. Though if you wanna read it…the first chapter is up here (it's called Bad Romance—under the username Tuney-pon *combined account*) though I have the VERY RAW format up on my LJ, too. Just be prepared for…weirdness/uniqueness *end of self-pimpage* **

**Err…**_**anyway**_**… **

**What you will probably-most-likely see in this chapter: An annoyed Tyki, crashing teens, a 'meet your boyfriend' moment (second (third?) attempt), and why Lenalee is here. Again. **

**Note: Continues directly off of the last chapter for Tyki's POV (well, okay, maybe with an hour time gap), and for Lavi's POV, the same…roughly. Just to prevent confusion. (Heck I confused myself. How good am I doing? XD) *note to self, don't leave this fic for 2 months again, it's bad for your health* **

**AND OF COURSE—Thanks so much for all the reviews! I really DO appreciate them! *huuugs* and you deserve faster updates because of it. *sigh* But I won't make any promises due to my inability to actually keep them XP *in regards to writing* **

**-------(T Y K I 'S P O V)-------**

This was _not_ the kind of phone call I had wanted to get. With the gorgeous boy shifting farther away from me—taking the initiative to, with the distraction—simply put, it hadn't been timed correctly. It really hadn't.

And why hadn't I been surprised by the scathing look? I more than deserved it, though it was a little more than interesting that he had reacted so strongly—I hadn't even _done_ anything to him yet. Not really. All I had said was about Lavi, and maybe the man would be happy to know I told him? Or maybe he would be angry?

But I hadn't worried about it then.

Maybe I should have now, at the little slip up. I wanted to keep him after all, didn't I?

But _oh no_, that didn't matter now.

Now when I was standing in front of two tired out teenage _heaps_, and a very flustered Sheryl, pacing back and forth and back and forth—"Brother, would you _stop_?" I droned, but it did no good. He just continued to pace and bite his nails, and stare daggers at the two half-dead teens lounging on his couch.

"You very well _know_, I shouldn't allow either of you into my home _again_!" He spat, "with such reckless behavior—"

"We weren't the reckless ones." Devit moaned, shifting a little, letting Jasdero's head flop on his lap.

"Of _course_ you weren't—but you _lied_! Lied!" He pointed an accusing finger at the both of them, "I wouldn't be surprised if _that_ was where she picked up such a bad habit!"

"You mean like where she picked up that she needed to date the _enemy_ just to get your panties in a bunch?" I resisted the urge to laugh at that, at the smug, but tired look on Devit's face—and the _livid_ one on Sheryl's.

"What exactly is _that_ supposed to mean?!" He hissed out, lowly, eyes glaring poison-tipped needles at the two boys.

Neither so much as flinched.

"It's just a phase!" he continued, writing off his lack of intimidation like it was nothing, "She'll snap out of it once she realizes the full extent of _who they are_!" Then his eyes turned to me, and he looked near desperate—"And _Tyki_! Why on earth did you—_you_—not rush here immediately after—"

"Because I was still helping with the _project_, brother." I cut him off, shifting my weight on numbing feet, "In case you forgot, it was _also_ a part of it," I glanced at the two teens and sighed, "I hadn't expected a call from you."

"Well you should!"

"Not when I'm expecting one from the _Earl_, brother."

He visibly flinched at that, and a part of me smirked at the thought. One-upping brother dearest hardly ever happened, and when it _did_ it had to be relished because it was more than likely that he would one-up _you_…or…two-up, three-up, or just _own_ you and—I tried to keep the grimace off my face.

"But you _will_ look for her, won't you?" _Like it didn't matter_ that it was our _boss_ that had—"You have to! You have the—the _duty_! She's your _niece_!"

"And I'm her Uncle," Which was saying pretty much the same thing, "But I suppose I can, before the Earl calls, anyway. If not then, sorry, but Road will have to wait." After all he _knew _how serious it was to defy the _Earl_, and after he so graciously took us in all those years ago…we were bound to him.

That realization seemed to hit then, albeit late, but he stopped and turned fully now—taking as many grand steps as needed, and then he was in front of me, "That's fine…just _please_."

"Do you have any idea where she _went_, though?" I was almost surprised he hadn't told me yet, but then he probably didn't _know_.

"Unfortunately I don't, but," He turned a scathing look to the two lounging on the couch, "But _these two_, however, said it was near where I picked them up."

"I memorized the numba on the mail box!" Jasdero groaned out tiredly, waving his hand, "I can tell ya—if we dun have to _go _or if we _do_ we can sleep in da—_oww_!" Devit kicked him, harshly, in the stomach.

"Shut _up_," He droned, "And it wasn't _you_ who memorized it—it was _me_, so Sheryl could actually come and _find us_." They shot glares at each other, that died just as quickly, but it was almost too childish that—

If they asked. I'd say no. Even _if_ they knew where she was.

"And the reason you didn't attempt to look for Road while you were out?" I wondered, earning a scowl from Sheryl.

"It was a lapse in judgment! And they didn't tell me she was—was—I thought they were being _lazy_ and that she had gone home already!"

'_Of course_,' But I didn't say that out loud. Instead I sighed, "Right. So she's near where you picked these two," I stared at the two teens, who were now shoving each other like children, "up?"

Sheryl nodded his head, "And I have a very important business call I _must_ take! I'm sure you understand!"

And I was pretty sure, well, no. If he didn't have such an important job, the likelihood of him searching for Road was _extremely_ high.

"She doesn't have her cell phone on?"

"I tried calling her."

_Another_ sigh. Great. Just great, "I really shouldn't," I reminded him yet again, "But I will…_try_."

His eyes lit up at that, pure and unadulterated _joy_, and for a moment I thought he would try and—and—

"Brother."

At least it was just a hug.

"A_ww_!" And it got the two to stop quarreling on the couch. It even made them giggle, "Brotherly love is so much fun, isn't it?~"

I really hated the fact he was taller than me, "Mmhm~" And that he was nuzzling into my hair. And agreeing with them.

"_Brother_,"

"Hmm?"

I elbowed him none too gently in the ribs, "Off now," it wouldn't be too long before his hands would start moving again (regrettably, unfortunately), "and you two," both twins didn't seem particularly threatened. I'd have to change that, "Since you _memorized the number_," I pointed to Jasdero, "You're coming with me."

They both looked oddly horrified at that. It was almost funny.

"Bu-bu-but…" he pointed lamely at Devit.

"It was me."

"Do I look like I _care_ which one of you it was?" They both tensed, and straightened up. _Ah, much better_. At least they'd take the chance to listen to me now, "Because I don't. Now get up—we're going."

"But—" Thankfully Devit had enough common sense in him to shut Jasdero up.

And for the umpteenth time that day I wondered about my sanity levels. Wondered about them, and how frail they would be—when the two didn't stop _arguing_, even as we headed out to the car. Even as we got _in_ the car. Even as we backed out and—

"Would you two _shut up_?!" And maybe I was glad, just a little bit, of the very apparent threat hanging in the air.

Oh they knew alright. They knew what would happen if they _didn't_ shut their mouths, and simply do what they said they would. Simply navigate towards wherever Road had decided to scamper off to.

An image of that boy with white hair that I had met so long ago at the Cross Diner (well, it wasn't _too_ long ago was it? I was certain of that) flashed through my mind, and I sighed, too quietly for the two in the back to hear.

_She was probably going to go visit him. Hadn't she been trying to before?_ Not that it really mattered, of course, _But if she is then, she might not want to leave_.

It took fast thinking and many shouts of complaints from the two in the back, as I swerved around one of the corners they had pointed to, but eventually—_eventually_ they started screaming things other than '_Slow the fuck down_!' and _'Oh my God I'm gonna die_!' –in fact it was the address to the place they had wound up in front of by no chance of theirs, and too much of Road's.

So, I slammed the door shut (not even bothering to look back to see if the twins were following me) and made my way around the very traditional looking home, through the trees and—_Oh? They don't have a fence?_—to the back, where suddenly a fit of very familiar giggles reached my ear.

_It sounds like Road…?_ So maybe the twins _had_ been right and weren't just…making things up. Well. At least they were useful. I let out a sigh and maneuvered closer, until I could see Road—leaning flush up against Allen—_ah yes_, it clicked in my mind, of course, it almost made me feel _silly _that—_He's the boy who stayed over that one night_—and he was currently laughing along with something she said. And she was still clinging. Still clinging. Pressing a kiss to his cheek and—

'_Oh dear_,' she tried to plant one on his lips, but he turned his head away in time for it to land on his cheek again.

Now Road was pouting, and I knew then I should probably move forward, say _Oh yes, I'm here_—because watching the…awkward display of affection was, well, just that. Awkward.

Sheryl would not be pleased.

So I took that first step forward. Then another, holding up my hand in greeting when silver eyes—_Ooh silver_—immediately focused on me, followed by familiar blue.

"Tyki!" She immediately unlatched herself from the boy's arm, and stood up—rushing over to me with a shocked—but happy (I hoped)—look on her face, "What're _you_ doing here?"

"Sheryl called." She cringed, "You _know_ I don't like running errands for him, especially when I have more _important_ calls to be waiting for." It almost felt like my phone was burning a hole in my pocket—because, after all, the Earl could call at any moment for details and if—if—

"I _know_," But she was making a pouting face now, that said quite honestly that she _didn't_—"But I haven't seen _All-en_—you remember him right? He spent the night at your place. Got hurt." I nodded my head, faintly remembering the frantic frenzy to find an icepack when Kanda (dark eyes, beautiful—shuddering—_no stop don't think about that right now_) had slammed the door open and whacked the poor boy in the face--"In _forever_," I almost chose to ignore her words when the boy cringed, and he sat back down again, looking oddly tired, and—_was that a cat?_ Yes it was—a cat curled up in his lap and _yawned_, nipping at his fingers, ears twitching, eyes slipping shut.

"So yeah. I needed to visit him. What kind of girlfriend would I _be_," Allen's fingers twitched at that, and his smile looked a little more strained, "If I couldn't even visit my boyfriend?" He flinched again.

"A very bad one," I supposed, agreed, as she dragged me a few steps forward, before I was walking on my own—until she sat back on the elevated porch, and I stood, a few feet in front of them, staring up at the oddly shaped roof, and the paneled sliding doors—

"Um," I glanced down when the boy shifted, "Er…really—_Road_—" she hummed and nuzzled against his arm again, "I—sorry," he looked at me when he said that, "She surprised me too, I mean…she just—popped up out of nowhere—"

"Just like Ty-ki!" She leaned against him again, he didn't look like he liked it, and I was almost tempted to open my mouth, but I kept it tactfully shut when she moved anyway, swinging her legs back and forth.

"—y-yeah like you just did. If your father is worried enough," He focused his attention back on Road, "To call your—um—" He paused for a moment, as if he couldn't _quite_ remember what relation I had to her. I couldn't quite blame him for it either (if he really had been as sick as Road had stated).

"Younger brother." I supplied for him, in any case, and he smiled embarrassedly and somewhat gratefully as he started back up his previous sentence.

"U_ncle_—out to get you, when he has…other things…to do, then," He paused again, "you should go back. I mean—" He looked hesitant and Road frowned. For a moment I thought she was going to say _No_ and start pouting again but—oddly—

She smiled. It was small and just a little sad (certainly nothing like the big ones she would give when she was…excited) but at the same time it was—calming. Almost, "I guess Lenalee would bother you about that?" Allen flinched at the name—_Lenalee? _It rang a bell, somewhere—_She's mentioned her before? Was she a rival?_—"I know she'd be worried, I mean I know _I_ am, and I _want_ to stay. I want to." She stopped her legs from swinging and pulled them up to her chest, "Eh—I guess I can…go back though." And suddenly she turned—turned and—

I smirked as the boy flailed for a moment—held in a violent lip lock that Road _had_ to have planned—before resigning his fate to being _very_…_**very**_ thoroughly kissed.

'_Should I even be watching this?' _Not that it mattered much when they parted like rabbits—the poor boy's face was beet red—when the backdoor slid open and a man—dressed in a _very_ fancy robe—stepped out.

"Now _what, _might I ask, is going on here?" The man turned to him, "And who're you?"

"Tyki." I answered immediately, "Tyki Mikk—"

"My Uncle!" Road cut off, smiling widely, but—_oh_—was she blushing too?—

"And you're here because…?" The man's eyes narrowed, as he looked past me—towards the trees and sighed, "I never thought I had to put a fence up, but I might have to now, if people keep barging in unannounced."

"I was just planning on leaving."

"No you _weren't_."

"Yes I _was_." She frowned, "And yes—with you. Your father's worried."

"Oh, you're taking the girlfriend away?" The man smiled, holding up a billowy sleeve to his lips and chuckling, "Well then go on—shoo—shoo, and you," Allen cringed, "Should have been back in bed thirty minutes ago. You've stayed outside too long—what will I tell Cloud when she comes to check on you?"

"That his girlfriend was visiting?"

"Does she know you _have_ one?"

Road glared, but the man ignored it—"Stop ignoring me!"

"Who?" He cocked his head to the side, cupping his ear with a well manicured hand, "Who's me?"

I felt my lips twitch, "I believe you mean my niece. Don't worry, I'll be taking her now." And I did—reaching forward, to wrap my arms easily around her waist—making her squawk, and making the poor boy's grey eyes widen in shock—and maybe his cheeks weren't just flushed in embarrassment.

Before I knew it my hand was patting him on his head—running through those snow-white locks and causing his eyes to _widen _even more, "And you get some sleep. You really _don't_ look well, boy." Just as quickly I pulled my hand away—_why had I done that? Why?_—but the boy's hair _had_ been soft, was that his natural hair color? Or?

Or—or—why was I _thinking_ these things?

"Let's get you back." I muttered once we were a fair distance away, Road huffing over my shoulder, but stopping her squirming, "Jasdero and Devit are in the car—and _so help me_ if the Earl calls I will _tell him _you three are the reason I'm late."

"And Papa?"

"Him too." She let out a giggle, "It isn't funny."

"But it _is_!" She snorted again, "I mean—neh, Tyki?"

I could see the car now, as we rounded the house—Jasdero and Devit were arguing over _something_—with how much they kept pushing at each other in the back seat and—_They'd better not ruin my car_—"What?"

"D'ya know? His name's Allen Walker," She sounded almost wistful, "An' I think I might love him."

It wasn't for a while—not until I dumped her into the passenger side seat—and the two in the back had shut up at least a little—that I said, lowly, "Really? Congratulations."

"And it means you can't have him."

I nearly ran a red light.

"_What_?"

**(L A V I's POV)**

"Honestly, you two don't even have a proper dining room set!" It was actually really, really funny watching her go back and forth, from the pot on the stove (checking to make sure the rice didn't burn) to the bar, to the cabinets to get out plates—"I mean really? You couldn't go out to _buy_ a set?"

And Kanda was fuming. Sitting on the bar stool watching her go back and forth in his kitchen (technically it was) messing around with _his_ stuff and—

"I dunno, Yuu-chan would ya like ta go silverware shopping with me tomorrow?"

"Fuck no,"

Lenalee swivled around to look at him, "Well you _need_ some decent—"

"No. We. Don't."

"Kanda."

He glowered at her. She glared back. Uh-oh—not good, "Lena—check on the rice again?" and she whipped back around to the stove.

"_Why_ is she here again?" Yuu-chan ground out, glaring at me and—

"I already told ya, Yuu-chan!"

"Well I don't _want her here_."

"Then you be the one ta tell 'er to leave!" And maybe I said that a bit too loudly when Lenalee glanced over her shoulder at us and frowned, just a little. Well—but—_it was true_, wasn't it? If Yuu wanted her to leave then he was the one who was going to—

"Like that'll go over well _baka_," he hissed back once Lenalee turned away again, sighing heavily, "What about Komui?"

I blinked, '_Oh_', then laughed, "Eh, actually—hey Lena?" She turned her head again, "What _about_ Komui?"

She let out a sigh, then a giggle, "Didn't I already tell you? I'll just call him later."

"But I dun' think he'll let you stay."

And then, she smiled, just a little, "Oh don't worry—didn't I say I already handled that _too_?"

I turned to look at Yuu, who glared—daggers—at her backside—

"I'm the one cooking your meal, I _can_ make it disgusting just as easily as I can make it _really, really good_." She snapped, and immediately the gaze dropped—it was almost funny, _almost_ except the somber tone afterward, as she turned around to us and said—"And besides—I haven't seen you two in _so long_! We need to talk."

Need to talk.

I glanced at Yuu, he glanced back, and scowled, "About _what_?" Her eyes darkened, just a bit and I couldn't help but swallow thickly at that—she was going to—

"Oh you know. I haven't really talked to either of you since that time you practically ran out." She was completely ignoring the rice now, and it wasn't like she really _had_ to watch it right now, so—so—"I. Want. To. Know. Okay?"

"Why?"

"We're friends aren't we? Do you honestly _expect me_—"

"To not ask. No. But Lena," I cut her off, "Dinner first, talk later, neh? We're in _such_ a good mood right now." Except maybe not so much anymore. Not that it really mattered but Yuu didn't want to—so we wouldn't—"Please don't ruin it, ya know?"

And she did, with a hesitant nod, turning back to the stove to stir what looked like…a very thrown together stir-fry, before turning back, and with one last look at the both of us, she sighed and said, "You two really _do_ need to go out shopping more often though. I barely had enough to make anything _decent_ that wasn't premade and _frozen_." She looked at me especially and scowled, "I thought at least _you_ would be better at that, with how much you 'love' food!"

I let out a laugh, "Neh, neh don't confuse me with the Moyashi! And," I looked at Yuu who scoffed, "I guess that's jus' college life for ya! At least we haven't gained weight or anythin!" I reached out and squeezed the side of Yuu's very—_very_ toned stomach, snickering when he scowled and swatted my hand away, "Though y'know she's right. We need va-ri-e-ty. Let's go shoppin' soon! Make a date of it!"

"Che, _no_." Kanda ground out, sharp and pointed—but nowhere near as harsh as he probably wanted it to be.

Well, if that wasn't a yes, then I was certainly taking it as one.

* * *

**Not as long a chapter as it could be, but then…I actually quite like the chapter plan I have set out for the next few chapters, so I'm going to try and go by **_**that**_**…and since that dictates this is where it ends, well, this is where it ends. Not much on a cliffy as I usually do it, but then that would be kinda mean, wouldn't it? Especially for a Christmas gift. *laugh***

**Also there wasn't originally supposed to be a kiss scene in this chapter (between Road and Allen) but, uh, it wormed its way in there? Yay? XD **

**As always, Questions? Comments? Loved it? Have CC? Send it via review!**

**(now let's hope I can actually stop being a hypocrite and say 'Oh gee I'll work on the next chapter'…and I actually finish it…*goes off to attempt*) **

**-Happy Holidays**

**Harmony283 **


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